PSYCHOPATHOLOGY

Precipitating Factors
Predisposing Factors  Substance Abuse
 Age  Poor Nutrition
 Sex: Male  Interrupted family
process
 Environmental
Factors: Childhood
Trauma

Neurobiological Psychological

Interference with the smooth Behavior Modification

transmission of impulses from
one neuron to another

Fatigue and Poor coping

strategies
Imbalanced releases
of neurotransmitters
Rest and reduced activity

Excitatory Inhibitory
Further Alternating
reduction in inactivity and
activity over activity
 Worsening symptoms

Serotonin Norepinephrine Glutamate

Dopamine
Health impairing
behavior

Serotoninergic Reduced Reduced

High level of stimulation of stimulation of
receptors
norepinephrine mesocortical GABA
Increase Decrease  Poor oral hygiene
dopaminergic dopaminergic lead to various dopamine release
health  Cigarette and
transmission transmission in
in mesolimbic mesocortical conditions alcohol consumption
projection projection Excessive including: high  Forgetfulness
simulation BP, rapid or  Disturbed sleeping
irregular pattern
heartbeat  Poor nutritional
Dopaminergic intake
Dopaminergic
neurons here
neurons here
project into
project into
the cerebral
limbic system,
cortex
responsible for
responsible for
behavior and
thinking,
emotions
decision-
making,
language
production
and mood
 Intellectual Disability

Altered excitability and Imbalance between

communication between excitatory and inhibitory
neuronal structures stimuli resulting in
aberrant cortical electrical
discharge

Inappropriate behavior Personality changes Difficulty in organizing Reduced language skills

Positive or Hard symptoms Separate symptoms complexes/syndromes

Negative or Soft symptoms
 Hallucinations  Positive symptoms
  Poor eye contact
 Disorganized Negative symptoms
 Social
Thinking
Withdrawal
 Flight of Ideas
 Poverty of speech
 Schizoaffective Disorder, Intellectual Disability

Medical Management
Nursing Management Treatment
 Establish trust and rapport. Don’t tease or  Clozapine 100mg
joke with patients. Expect that patient is ½ tab OD
going to put you through rigorous testing  VITAMIN c
periods. Introduce yourself and explain 500mg 1 tab OD
your purpose.  Multivitamins 1
 Assess positive symptoms. tab OD
 Assess for command hallucinations;
explore answers.
 Assess if the client has fragmented,
poorly organized, well-organized,
systematized, or extensive system of
beliefs that are not supported by reality.
 Assess for pervasive suspiciousness
about everyone and their actions (e.g., Good Prognosis Prognosis
vigilant, blames others for consequences
of own behavior, argumentative, Schizoaffective disorder
threatening). prognosis is good. People Bad Prognosis
with this psychotic
Therapy disorder can and often do  A poor premorbid
 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy improve. Nearly half of history
 Mileu Therapy people  An unremitting
 Group Therapy with schizoaffective course
 Interpersonal Therapy disorder are in remission  Having a family
approximately five years member with
after diagnosis and about schizophrenia
25% function well socially
for two-year stretches
Peterson, T. (2021).