Diagnosis for schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is usually not easy to diagnose. There is no specific lab test or physical exam that tells one you have the condition.
To diagnose it, a doctor or professional healthcare provider will have to see the symptoms last for up to 6 months. They would need to rule out other possible options, such as mental illness like brain tumor, substance-induced psychosis, or other health issues.
To confirm the diagnosis of schizophrenia, your doctor would need to see that the person has at least two of the following symptoms consistently, along with reduced functioning. They include:
- Hallucination
- Delusion
- Catatonia [3]
- Negative symptoms
- Disorganized behavior
Symptoms that could identify as disorganized schizophrenia include:
- Flat affect
- Disorganized thinking
- Inappropriate emotions
- Speech disturbance
- Unfitting facial expression for a situation
- Difficulty performing daily activity
These symptoms may also imply other conditions, which is why it is important to rule out other possible conditions before a final diagnosis. Conditions to rule out include:
- Psychosis
- Schizoaffective disorder
- Substance use
- Bipolar disorder [4]
- Delusional disorder