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Distractibility in Schizophrenia: State and Trait Aspects

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 August 2018

Bonnie Spring
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Texas Tech University
Martin Lemon
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Texas Tech University
Lisa Weinstein
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Texas Tech University
Alison Haskell
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Texas Tech University

Extract

Cognitive deficits in schizophrenia can be differentiated into state-linked accompaniments of psychotic episodes and trait-linked signs of a more enduring vulnerability to schizophrenia (Zubin & Spring, 1977; Cromwell & Spaulding, 1978). Elsewhere (Spring & Zubin, 1978) we suggested that a marker of psychotic episodes is one that deviates in highly symptomatic schizophrenic patients and normalises as their florid psychotic symptoms remit. A stable vulnerability marker, in contrast, continues to deviate in remitted patients, their biological relatives, and others who are vulnerable to schizophrenia but not floridly psychotic. In addition, Nuechterlein & Dawson (1984) proposed a mediating vulnerability marker which demonstrates characteristics of both vulnerability and episode markers. On such a marker, asymptomatic vulnerable individuals differ from normal; the advent of psychosis magnifies the deviation.

Type
III. From the Perspective of Individual Psychology
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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