Symptoms And Diagnosis Of Schizophrenia Essay

Schizophrenia is a complex disorder of the brain, which is incurable but treatable to live a close to a normal life. There are different types of schizophrenia and they each have different symptoms and affect a person's life in different ways.

Depending on what type of schizophrenia a person has can determine the symptoms that they have. “The symptoms can be put into three categories which are positive symptoms, negative symptoms and cognitive symptoms” (National Institute of Mental Health, 2011). Schizophrenia can have positive symptoms which consist of hallucinations, delusions and thought disorders that can be seen in healthy individuals. Negative symptoms are constant disruption of normal behavior along with emotions. Then, the cognitive symptoms which are difficult to recognize and a majority of the time tests has to be run to determine what symptoms or what type of schizophrenia that individual has.

Schizophrenia is a neurological disorder that affects the cognitive functions of an individual. The cause of this illness is unknown, but there are several theories of how an individual may acquire schizophrenia. Because there are many symptoms of the disease and because the symptoms can vary quite dramatically among several individuals and even within the same individual over time, the diagnosis of schizophrenia can be quite difficult.

But doctors use certain tests to make sure nothing else as at the root of the symptoms.” The doctor will begin to ask you questions about your mental health and medical history. If you are hearing voices, having odd experiences or having confusing thoughts that you can’t control. If they think you need to be further tested they may proceed with a MRI, CT scan. Those will then check the structure, function and size of your brain. From then on they will diagnose you with the Schizophrenia mental disorder if you have hallucinations, delusions. Other factors may also show symptoms of Schizophrenia but those two are the main ones that are most easily recognizable.

Schizophrenia is classified as a psychotic disorder. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, in order to be diagnosed with schizophrenia, an individual must present two (or more) of the following symptoms for a significant portion of time during a one-month period: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, catatonic behavior, or negative symptoms (such as diminished emotional expression or avolition). The DSM-5, however, has a continuum (schizophrenia spectrum) of disorders that may be similar to schizophrenia disorder but not as severe or persistent.

I believe the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5®), 5th Edition is very effective at covering the diagnostics of schizophrenia. The primary features of schizophrenia are delusion, hallucinations, and disorganized speech. They also include grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior. There are several negative symptoms including diminished emotional expression and a sever lack of motivation for a significant amount of time. Although schizophrenia can look like other conditions, a thorough background must be taken of the client concerning the length of time the criterion features have been present and the severity of those features. A drug and alcohol use history should also be included in the assessment.

A good question to ask here is how disorganized schizophrenia is diagnosed? There are a few things that need to be done in order to diagnose someone. First a physical exam is issued. The patient’s height, weight, heart rate, and blood pressure is measured. Second the patient’s complete blood count is taken to check for alcohol and drugs in the system. An MRI is then done because the physician wants to look for any brain lesions or any abnormalities in the brain. Last but not least a psychological evaluation is done by the patient being asked about their thoughts, feelings, and their behavior

Symptoms can affect people more than others, but in the end they lead to the same thing. Hallucinations and delusions are the most common symptom, it is only diagnosed as schizophrenia if it lasts more than 6 months. Some other symptoms are behavioral changes for example, social isolation, disorganized behavior, repetitive movements, self

What is schizophrenia? The America Psychiatric Association explain schizophrenia in its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV(DSM-IV) as a disarray with active symptoms for at least 1 month, consisting of delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, grossly disorganized/bizarre behavior, and/or a lack of organized speech, activity, or emotions. Usually, at least two of these sets of indication are present. The illness, with a prodromal stage prior to diagnosis and a residual stage after treatment (both having some often nonspecific behavioral symptoms), lasts at least 6 months with a continuous sign of some disturbance. During this period, an individual with schizophrenia is clearly considered impaired in his or ability to perform at work, attend school, or participate in social activities in a productive way (Jones& Bartlett, 2010).

Schizophrenia is a chronic brain disorder that affects more than one percent of the population. When schizophrenia is active, symptoms can include delusions, hallucinations, trouble with thinking and concentration, and lack of motivation. However, when these symptoms are treated properly, a large portion of those diagnosed will greatly improve over time.

Whenever mood episodes occur during the active-phase symptoms, they should be present for a few times of the total duration of the active and residual periods of the illness as well. The following are some of the major symptoms that presents itself in order to perfectly diagnose someone of schizophrenia. They are; Hallucination, delusion, negative symptoms such as affective flattering, catatonic behavior and disorganized speech such flash of ideas which does not make sense with reality.

Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder that affects a person’s thinking, language, emotions, social behavior and perception (Herzog & Varcarolis, 2014). The diagnosis involves identifying a range of signs and symptoms that leads to impaired occupational or social functioning (American Psychiatry Association [APA], 2014).

However, identifying this constellation of symptoms can be difficult as some symptoms of Schizophrenia last for a relatively short period of time and may not be present at the same time as other symptoms (DeLisi, 2011), while others persist for six months at a time, or longer. In schizophrenia, problems in functioning occur in two categories of symptoms: positive and negative.

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder in which a person within the population interprets unreal things or thinking as real. Creating a delusional state of impaired thinking and behavior. This disorder is a disability to a person and limits how they can fully function in society.

It states that “To be diagnosed with schizophrenia, two diagnostic criteria have to be met over much of the time of a period of at least one month, with a significant impact on social or occupational functioning for at least six months. The person had to be suffering from delusions, hallucinations, or disorganized speech. A second symptom could be negative symptoms, or severely disorganized or catatonic behaviour” (Schizophrenia, 2018). There are also many different types of Schizophrenia. These include Paranoid, Disorganized, Catatonic, Undifferentiated, and Residual. The most common form being Paranoid Schizophrenia. It is also very important to make sure that it is diagnosed correctly. There are other types of mental disorders with similar symptoms that could not be diagnosed as Schizophrenia. Some of these are borderline personality disorder, social anxiety disorder, and