Schizophrenia

• a serious mental disorder characterized by disordered thoughts, delusions, hallucinations, and often bizarre behaviors
• has positive and negative symptoms

Positive Symptoms of Schizophrenia

• a symptom evident by its presence
• Hallucinations-perception of a nonexistent object or event
• Thought disorders- disorganized, irrational thinking
• Delusions- a perception that is contrary to reality (persecution, grandeur, control)

Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia

• a symptom characterized by the absence of behaviors normally present
• social withdrawal
• lack of affect
• poverty of speech, motivation

Cognitive Symptoms of Schizophrenia

• a symptom charachterized by cognitive difficulties
• deficits in learning and memory
• poor abstract thinking
• poor problem solving

The Dopamine Hypothesis

• suggests that the positive symptoms of schizophrenia are caused by overactivity of synapses between dopaminurgic neurons of the ventral tegmental area and neurons in the nucleus accumbens and amydala
• drugs used to reduce positive symptoms are antagonists of dopaminurgic transmission of neurotransmitters

Drugs that Mimic Schizophrenia

• PCP
• Ketamine

Bipolar Disorder

• a serious mood disorder characterized by cyclical periods of mania and depression

Major Affective Disorder

• a serious mood disorder
• includes unipolar depression and bipolar disorder

Major Depressive Disorder

• a serious mood disorder that consists of unremitting depression or periods of depression that do not alternate with periods of mania

Tricyclic Antidepressant

• a class of drugs used to treat depression
• inhibits the reuptake of norepinephrine and serotoin
• also affects other neurotransmitters

Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors

(SSRI)

• an antidepressant drug that specifically inhibits the reuptake of serotonin without affecting the reuptake of other neurotransmitters