Here is a compilation of essays on ‘Psychotic Disorders’ for school and college students. Find paragraphs, long and short essays on ‘Psychotic Disorders’ especially written for school and college students.
Essay on Psychotic Disorders
Essay Contents:
- Essay on Schizophreniform Disorder
- Essay on Brief Reactive Psychosis
- Essay on Schizoaffective Disorder
- Essay on Other Unusual Psychoses
1. Essay on Schizophreniform Disorder:
The essential features of this disorder are identical with those of schizophrenia with the exception that the duration, including prodromal, active and residual phases is less than six months but more than two weeks.
History:
G. Longfeldt coined the term in 1937.
Epidemiology:
The exact prevalence is not known.
Clinical Picture:
There is greater likelihood of emotional turmoil and confusion, a tendency toward acute onset and resolution, more likely recovery to premorbid levels of functioning and the absence of an increase in members compared with general population.
Four good prognostic features:
Acuteness of onset,
Confusion,
Good premorbid functioning and
The absence of blunted or flat affect.
Etiology:
The exact etiology is not known:
(1) Genetic factors:
In a study the course of illness and family history was found to be similar to disorders of mood.
(2) Biological theories:
Controversial.
Differential Diagnosis:
(1) Schizophrenia:
The duration in schizophreniform is less than six months with some good prognostic signs.
(2) Brief Reactive Psychosis:
It differs from schizophreniform disorder in that the duration of the disturbance is less than two weeks (although the secondary effects may persist longer).
(3) Atypical Psychosis:
(4) Mood Disorder:
(5) Organic Mental Disorder:
(6) Others:
Neurological illness e.g., Temporal lobe epilepsy, Huntington’s chorea, Parkinson’s disease, Space occupying lesions, medical conditions e.g., phaeochrorfiocytoma, metabolic disturbances and drugs e.g., exogenous anabolic steroid.
Management:
The antipsychotic drugs are the treatment of choice. Higher doses may be required in acute cases but for a brief period.
2. Essay on Brief Reactive Psychosis:
This disorder is characterized by the sudden onset of a psychotic disorder of at least a few hours but no more than two weeks duration with eventual return to premorbid level of functioning.
History:
The concept of reactive or psychogenic psychosis is derived from the writings of August Wimmer (1921-1937).
Epidemiology:
It is not known.
Clinical Picture:
There is rapid onset of a floridly psychotic picture in a historic manner in response to a serious psychological stressor or multiple stressors.
(a) General appearance and behavior:
There is emotional turmoil, perplexity, a feeling of confusion, behaviour with bizarre and specular postures.
(b) Speech:
It is with inarticulate gibberish or repetition of nonsensical phrases.
(c) Affect is often inappropriate and volatile.
(d) Perception and thinking:
Transient hallucinations or delusions (paranoid) are common.
(e) Orientation and memory:
Disorientation and impairment in recent memory often occur.
Differential Diagnosis:
(i) Functional Psychoses:
Schizophreniform disorder, paranoid disorders, affective disorder or atypical psychosis.
(ii) Organic Mental Disorders:
Organic Mental Disorders particularly those involving Delirium, Organic delusional syndrome or Intoxication are distinguished from Brief reactive psychosis on the basis of historical or laboratory information that indicates a known organic factor.
(iii) Mood Disorder.
(iv) Personality Disorder.
(v) Factitious Disorder with Psychological/ Symptoms.
(vi) Malingering.
Management:
The treatment is strictly symptomatic as it is a remitting, time limited disorder.
3. Essay on Schizoaffective Disorder:
Kasanin coined the term ‘Schizoaffective’ in 1933.
Epidemiology:
It is not available. The incidence per year is estimated as 0.3-5.7 per lac.
Classical Picture:
a. DSM-IV provides a specific diagnostic criteria i.e.,
b. An illness marked by a full major depressive or manic syndrome with concurrent typical schizophrenic features.
c. During an episode of the illness, delusions or hallucinations are present for a period of at least 2 weeks in the absence of affective symptoms.
d. The condition does not, however, meet all criteria of schizophrenia.
The outcome of this illness varies i.e., incomplete recovery with functional deterioration is possible.
Etiology:
Whether schizoaffective disorder is a variant of mood disorder of schizophrenia or a separate psychotic disorder is not clear.
From the studies till date, a closer link between schizoaffective disorder and mood disorder exists than between it and schizophrenia.
Differential Diagnosis:
a. Schizophrenia.
b. Bipolar mood disorder.
c. Major depression with mood incongruent disorder.
d. Organic mental disorder.
Management:
Lithium is effective in schizomanics whereas schizodepressive usually responds to a tricyclic antidepressant, phenothiazine or both.
Electroconvulsive therapy is also effective, especially in decreasing the risk of suicide.
4. Essay on Other Unusual Psychoses:
(i) Cycloid Psychoses:
Cycloid psychoses are illnesses of sudden onset in which there are fluctuations in mood (from depression to elation or from either to normal).
(ii) Atypical Schizophrenias:
Leonard distinguished three types of atypical schizophrenia:
(1) Affect-laden paraphrenia.
(2) Periodic catatonia.
(3) Schizophasia.
(iii) Autoscopy:
It is a rare perceptual disturbance where there are illusions or hallucinations of self (usually visual). It may manifest as looking, talking, dressing and acting like oneself and the actions of all the senses- visual, auditory and kinesthetic may be involved. It may take the form of an illusion or vivid fantasy.
(iv) de Clerambault’s Syndrome:
Erotomania (psychose passionelle):
The patient has delusional conviction that someone who hardly knows the patient or does not know the patient at all is passionately in love with him or her. The conviction is often symptomatic of an underlying schizophrenia.
(v) Monosymptomatic Hypochondriacal Psychosis (MHP):
It is an illness characterized by a single hypochondriacal delusion, that is sustained over a considerable period. The delusion is not secondary and the personality otherwise well preserved although the person’s way of life is adversely affected. The term has been popularized by Munro (1980).
(vi) Dysmorphophobia:
The term “Dysmorphophobia” was coined by Morselli in 1886 as, “A subjective feeling of ugliness or physical defect which the patient feels is noticeable to others, although his appearance is within normal limits”.
The term dysmorphophobia is a misomer because the patient has a delusion and not phobia (there is no fear or avoidance behaviour): The dysmorphic syndrome is a more accurate term.
Some patients with dysmorphic syndrome (dysmorphophobia) may respond to drugs (pimozide),’ plastic surgery (e.g., Cosmetic rhinoplasty) or cognitive and other behavioural therapies.