What is Schizophrenia?

Psychopathology – Schizophrenia

In this course, Mr Kevin Silber (University of Derby) explores different aspects of the severe mental health condition schizophrenia, including its characteristics, causes and available treatments. In the first lecture, we consider the positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia and debunk some common myths about the illness. In the second lecture, we think about the possible biological causes of schizophrenia. In the third lecture, we explore the psychological aspects of the condition. Next, we take a closer look at the different drug treatments that have been used to help those suffering from schizophrenia. In the fifth lecture, we consider psychological treatments, such as family therapy, CBT and token economies. In the sixth and final lecture, we think about the ‘interactionist approach’ to schizophrenia as an approach which takes account of both biological and psychological factors in understanding and treating the illness.

What is Schizophrenia?

In this lecture, we think about what schizophrenia is and how it can be defined, focusing in particular on: (i) some common myths surrounding schizophrenia; (ii) the positive and negative symptoms of the condition; (iii) how the classification of schizophrenia has changed following the publication of the DSM-5 in 2013; (iv) a classic study (Rosenhan, 1973) to highlight potential issues with the reliability of a diagnosis of schizophrenia.