Clinical Psychology

Clinical Psychology

1. Schizophrenia

   • Features / Symptoms
     • Positive symptoms v negative symptoms
       • + Symptoms diagnosed via their presence - e.g. a notmal person does not hear voices so hearing voices is a positive symptom.
         • Hallucinations - auditory are more common but hallucinations can happen through all 5 sneses.
           • Auditory hallucinations can involve a person hearing voiices telling them what to do.
         • Delusions commonly SZ's have delusions of grandeur or where they think that they are beng plotted against.
         • Thought disturbances - believe in thought instertion
       • - Symptoms are diagnosed via their absence e.g. a normal person is able to show emotion so the absence of emotions is a negative symptom
         • Alogia and flattened effect (lack of emotional responses)
     • Approx 1% of the population suffer from SZ

2. Anorexia

   • What is it?
     • The refusal to maintain a minimal normal body weight for age and height.
       • Diagnosis requires the bodyweight to be 85% less than that expeted.
         • There is an intense fear of gaining weight despite being underweight.
           • 90% of sufferers are female.
           • Sufferers have a preoccupation with thinness, dieting and exercise.
     • Symptoms
       • There are both physical and psychological symptoms for Anorexia:
         • miss meals, eat very little, or avoid eating any fatty foods
         • lie about what and when they've eaten
         • obsessively count the calories in food
         • lie about how much they weigh
         • exercise excessively
         • take appetite suppressants, such as slimming or diet pills
         • bloating or constipation
         • headaches
         • feeling lightheaded or dizzy
         • feeling very tired
         • feeling cold
         • discoloured hands and feet caused by poor circulation
         • dry skin
         • hair loss from the scalp

3. Practical

   • Leaflet providing information about anorexia nervosa
     • Includes a description of Anorexia, symptoms, and treatments as well as a real life case study.
   • The leaflet targets both teenage audiences and mature adult audiences
     • For the purpose of prevention and treatment of people already suffering.
       • May have been biased as it is aimed at the section of the population most likely to suffer. This was a conscious decision as it allows the leaflet to be more effective in its cause.