Schizophrenia

it is a long-term mental health condition and causes a range of different psychological symptoms and it is a type of psychosis.

it is a term used to describe a severe mental health problem where the individual loses contact with reality

1% of the population

mid 20s

early 30s

it is the process of organising symptoms into categories based on which symptoms cluster together in sufferers and psychologists use the DSM and ICD to diagnose a patient with schizophrenia

it refers to the assigning of a label of a disorder to a patient

ICD and DSM

International Classification of the Causes of Disease and Death (World Health Organisation)

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (American Psychiatric Association)

positive and negative

hallucinations, delusions, disorganised thinking and speech

avolition, speech poverty, lack of expressed emotion and apathy

depression, loss of employment, breakdown of relationships

they are false sensory experiences that may not have any identifiable source

they are false beliefs which are not based on fact or evidence that are very difficult to disprove

thoughts go from one thing to another without any connection between them and it makes it hard to concentrate

it is a reduction in communication which often manifest as short empty replies to questions

a reduction or flattening of emotions where the range and intensity of expressions

lack of motivation and a lack of initiative to accomplish tasks

it is difficulty planning and setting goals and there is no interest in socialising or hobbies

this is shared symptoms between disorder which can lead to an invalid diagnosis

this refers to more than one disorder or diseases that coexist alongside a primary diagnosis

it is the consistency of the diagnosis

it is the accuracy of a diagnosis

it can lead to appropriate therapies to benefit the patient by removing symptoms to aid recovery

it can lead to a stigma and negative connotations making the condition worse and restricting the patient’s life