To receive an official diagnosis of schizophrenia, a person must show at least two of the following symptoms most of the time for a month and some mental disorder for 6 months:
- Delusions (false beliefs that a person will not give up even if they receive evidence that they are not true)
- Hallucinations (hearing or seeing things that aren’t there)
- Disorganized speech and behavior
- Catatonic or comatose stupor
- Freaky or hyperactive behavior
The first thing the doctor will do is a psychological assessment and a complete medical examination. They will want to know about people in the family who may also have these symptoms or who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia, how that person has behaved recently, and whether they have ever been hospitalized due to a mental condition.
The doctor will monitor the patient’s symptoms to rule out other conditions such as bipolar disorder and other possible causes.
Tests used to diagnose schizophrenia
The doctor may also do a urine or blood test to make sure alcohol or drug abuse is not causing symptoms.
Tests that scan and take pictures of the body and brain, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT), can also help rule out other problems, such as a brain tumor.
They will also administer tests to measure how much a person understands (they may call these cognitive tests), personality tests, and open-ended tests such as the inkblot test (you may hear the doctor call this a Rorschach test).
Getting a diagnosis as early as possible will improve your loved one’s chances of coping with the illness. If they get proper care and psychotherapy, a kind of conversation, they will probably get better.
paranoid symptoms
Delusions are fixed beliefs that seem real to you, even when there is strong evidence that they are not. Paranoid delusions, also called persecutory delusions, reflect deep fear and anxiety, as well as a loss of the ability to distinguish between what is real and what is not. They can make you feel:
- An employee is trying to harm you, like poisoning your food.
- Your spouse or partner is cheating on you.
- The government is spying on you.
- People in your area are plotting to harass you.
These beliefs can cause problems in your relationship. And if you think strangers are going to hurt you, you may want to stay at home or be alone.
People with schizophrenia are not usually violent. But sometimes paranoid delusions can make them feel threatened and angry. If someone is driven to extremes, their actions are usually focused on family members rather than the public, and this takes place at home.
You may also have associated hallucinations in which your senses are not working properly. For example, you may hear voices that taunt or insult you. They may also advise you to do harmful things. Or you may see things that aren’t really there.