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In the last post, we saw how:
- There are metabolic changes to that takes place in schizophrenia noted through MRI.
- There are signs of delusion and hallucination and others listed above.
- Personal therapy helps with relapase and social funtion.
Inkscape.org
Depression vector created by pch.vector - www.freepik.com
Welcome to Medic Vibes, where we discuss mental health disorders and make sense of them. Dr Ebingo Kigigha is a medical doctor (aspiring psychiatrist) and creative person (illustration and music). This has been our routine for three consecutive months. This month will be dedicated to Schizophrenia. In the first month, we discussed Depression, and in the subsequent month, anxiety. We just finished with Bipolar affective disorder. We are done looking at research work done in Nigeria on schizophrenia.
In this post, we are looking at a Tik Tok. To learn more just keep scrolling down. You can also skip to the key point of the post if you which or go to the conclusion to get the summary.
In patients that have complex partial seizures, there have been more cases of schizophrenia than usual. This is mostly the case when it starts from the temporal lobe. It is mostly from the left side of the brain on the medial aspect of the temporal lobe.
Researchers know a lot about evoked potential and have explained this over time. The P300 has been researched the most. When electrophysiology studies are done, it constitutes a large positive wave that is seen 300milliseconds after the stimulus is elicited. The initial site of onset is the medial temporal lobe. When the wave is seen in schizophrenia, it is noted to be smaller when compared to the other conditions. The P300 abnormalities are more likely in children when their parents have schizophrenia.
No one is sure how to deal with the findings of P300 but N100 with a negative evoke 100 milliseconds after the stimulus.
What evoked potential has been able to explain is that in those who have schizophrenia, there is increased stimulus.
When patients cannot follow objects with their eyes it is recognized as a disorder of smooth visual pursuit and it is noted in patients that have schizophrenia. It is not affected by drug therapy and is seen in the offspring of those with schizophrenia. This abnormality is seen in close to 50 to almost 90% of patients.
Many studies have found immunological problems linked to patients with schizophrenia. There is reduced T-interlukin2 synthesis the lymphocytes are also very unresponsive and their number is reduced. Some antibodies are created against the tissues of the brain. Some researchers may think that this Is evidence of viral conditions but studies so far have not shown any of the sorts. The evidence only shows in-utero infections with influenza. To add to these claims are the fact that there is a seasonal affectation of these conditions and the location where they occur. This however only explains the cause of schizophrenia in some patients.
Word Association
Word association has been attributed to the works of Carl Gustav Jung who was a clinical psychologist and psychiatrist at the University of Zurich as a researcher during the early parts of her career. He later took charge of the research work on word association. The way he tested word association was that he would read out a set of words and the responders were supposed to say exactly what entered their minds as they heard the words. This was to be done as quickly as possible. What would the noted was the time taken to respond to the word list, the specific response, and the way that responders behaved were noted and studied. This test was used for both psychology and psychiatry.
Word association was done by older techniques that analyse mental association.
Jung brought out a lot of changes in this test method. He brought light to the way the responders felt and the way they thought. There was some word that the responders would have very bizarre reactions to and he made notes of these types of reactions.
Sigmund Freud gave recognition to the works of Jung as these gave proof of the unconscious mind. Jung had reason to believe that he was seeing into the conscious and unconscious mind. He described specific ideas that were explained to be cluster complexes.
Jung and his co-workers used the word association test in psychiatric conditions including psychiatry. It was used popularly in court cases and the cases were published as a success.
He was able to find out that there were psychological subgroups in members of the same family.
Jung’s research ended because he did have the theoretical basis to move his research further. Even though this was the case, his works lead to the development of the concepts surrounding shared unconsciousness.
Treatment
This therapy method is a combination of cognitive therapy and behavioural therapy. The therapy is done in groups and for individuals. It has more documented success in Borderline Personality Disorder but it is beginning to be recognized in schizophrenia. The most important aspect of the therapist is personal development which is reinforced with empathy.
Questions
- What did you learn about Schizophrenia?
Conclusion
- Some electrophysiological studies include those done on patients with complex partial seizures and evoked potential.
- The word association test was progressed by Carl Jung and was used in pscyhciatry and psychology cases.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy is a combination of cognitive and behavioural therapy.
References
- Kaplan-Sadocks-Comprehensive-Textbook-Psychiatry
- Page demarcations made with Inkscape.org
- Encyclopedia