Diagnosing schizophrenia

Diagnosing schizophrenia is quite a complicated procedure involving a lot of spent time observing the person's actions and way of thinking. That person may start developing different symptoms like anxiety, confusion and starting to be suspicious on other people, mostly those that don't agree with their view of things around; they may even refuse to admit the fact that they need help. Doctors have to put a correct diagnose so they will look for both positive and negative symptoms; strange thinking, hallucinations and delusions are positive signs and apathy, emotional flatness, inability to concentrate, wanting to avoid people or to be protected are negative symptoms.

Strange thinking is also a major symptom in schizophrenic people. Their ideas might seem a bit strange to other people making little sense to them. Logical thinking may also present a problem to them. Loneliness and isolation may install because of the inability of the patient to properly talk.

Hallucinations are another problem in schizophrenia patients. According to a research, up to 4% of people hear voices but that doesn't pose a problem for them. In the case of sick persons this is an entirely different thing: they may hear voices or sounds that other people don't, this voices being sometimes familiar, friendly or critical. In the case of people diagnosed with schizophrenia the most common hallucinations are critical or unfriendly voices. This voices may have been in their mind all their life, but they have been triggered to be more aggressive by a particular event.

The delusions are the experiences or beliefs that the patient has regarding facts that don't exist.

The negative symptoms are named so because they are not noticed as easily as other signs of the illness. They might be such signs as being withdrawn, apathetic, and unable to concentrate. It is all so often that patient shows either a very chaotic behavior, much depending on people's response towards them, or a very mellow way of being sitting in a certain spot and not moving for hours. Because of this kind of actions people tend to discriminate and ignore other persons with mental problems, making them fell depressed and isolated.

As much as one in every hundred people is diagnosed with suffering of schizophrenia usually between the ages of 20 and 30. The number of men and women found with the illness is roughly the same, but the age of men tends to be smaller at the time when they are diagnosed.

Diagnosing schizophrenia is quite tricky sometimes, and that is why a second opinion should always be looked after to be shore no mistakes have been made.