2x Outline the clinical characteristics of schizophrenia [8 marks+ 5 marks]

Outline the clinical characteristics of schizophrenia (8 marks):

Schizophrenia is a splitting of the minds functions in which a personality loses its unity. To be diagnosed as schizophrenic, an individual must exhibit one or more of the first rank symptoms. These are delusions, such as the delusion of persecution, hallucinations, such as hearing voices, or thought process disorders such as thought insertion/deletion.

Further symptoms of schizophrenia were suggested by Slater and Roth. Thought process disorders suggested include word salad and loose associations, while disturbances of affect included flattened affect, blunting and inappropriate affect. Waxy flexibility, catatonia and stereotypy are examples of psychomotor disturbances and anhedonia and asociability are lack of volition disturbances.

All of these symptoms can be classified as either positive…