222 PSYCHOLOGY
hallucinations. Hallucinationsare false perceptions. The victim may see some-
one who isn’t there, hear voices, or smell nonexistent odors.
Two types of psychotic disorders will be identified: schizophrenia and delu-
sional disorder.
Schizophreniais a psychotic disorder that fits all of the criteria specified
above. A schizophrenic patient suffers from delusions and cognitive distortions.
The term schizophreniawas coined by Eugen Bleuler, the psychiatrist who trained
Carl Jung. Schizmeans “split”;phreniarefers to the head. Loosely, a schizophrenic
condition refers to a “head” or “mind” that has split away from reality. (It does not
mean two or more personalities.) An older term for schizophrenia is dementia
praecox,meaning madness with an early, or youthful, onset. Indeed, signs and
symptoms of schizophrenia often appear in adolescence.
Schizophrenia takes on several shapes. Consequently, it is possible to divide
the disorder into categories: (1) paranoid type, (2) catatonic type, (3) disorganized
type, and (4) undifferentiated type. The paranoid typeis characterized by delu-
sions or mistrust and suspicion. Kendra says her food has been poisoned. Clay says
his thoughts are being recorded by the CIA.
The catatonic type is characterized by mutism and odd postures. Mutism
refers to an unwillingness to speak. Clive has not spoken for ten days. He spends
his time in a boxer’s fighting stance.(a) disorders are disorders characterized by a loss of touch with reality.(b) A schizophrenic patient suffers from and distortions.(c) What type of schizophrenia is characterized by delusions of mistrust and suspicion?Answers: (a) Psychotic; (b) delusions; cognitive; (c) The paranoid type.The disorganized typeis characterized by silliness and completely inappro-
priate behavior. Dorothy giggles whenever she is spoken too, eats all food with her
hands, and urinates anywhere. An older term for this condition is hebephrenic
schizophrenia.Hebes is the Greek god of youth. The general idea is that the
individual has regressed to an infantile level.
The undifferentiated typeis a diagnostic category used when the patient is
schizophrenic, but displays behaviors that overlap with the earlier described cate-
gories. In other words, no clear pattern emerges.
Delusional disorder,not a kind of schizophrenia, is a psychotic disorder
characterized by an organized, systematic delusional system. An older term for
this disorder is paranoia.Delusional disorder is not to be confused with schizo-
phrenia, paranoid type (see above). The difference between the two disorders is
that in delusional disorder the false ideas form a coherent whole. In schizophrenia
they do not. People with delusional disorder can be very convincing. Sometimes