Schizophrenia Diagnostic Paper

Schizophrenia Diagnostic Paper

Schizophrenia is a serious mental condition that leads people to have distorted
perceptions of their surroundings. Psychiatric illness is translated as "divided mind" (Mayo
Clinic, 2019). For a patient to be diagnosed with schizophrenia, two or more of the symptoms
addressed in this article must be present to confirm the diagnosis. According to the American
Psychological Association, the length of the disease, the extent of social dysfunction, and the
exclusion of pharmaceutical side effects, drug misuse, and other physical or mental
conditions are all factors in the diagnosis of schizophrenia. It is devastating since it prohibits
individuals from living regular lives, and it frequently begins at a young age, making it very
difficult to treat. People with schizophrenia have trouble sustaining relationships, keeping a
job, and attending school regularly.

Schizophrenia is accountable for prolonged hospitalizations, which will result in
increased healthcare expenses. In schizophrenia, longer stays in medical institutions may be
linked to the large range of "unknowns" that must be dealt with. In the coordination and
administration of treatment for patients with schizophrenia, nurses play a critical role. This is
particularly true given the urgency with which patients must be reintegrated into society as
soon as feasible. Collaboration with various disciplines is essential in treating schizophrenia,
which involves the administration of medicines and psychological support. By concentrating
on the patient's objectives, the nursing staff may more successfully execute treatments
tailored to the individual requirements of a patient with schizophrenia.

Symptoms of Schizophrenia

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Schizophrenia symptoms may be divided into positive and negative symptoms.
Patients experience positive symptoms when they have sensations or exhibit behaviors that
other people are not experiencing. For example, they may hear, smell, feel, or see things other
people aren't. It is believed that these are manifestations of delusions and hallucinations (Van
den Heuvel & Fornito, 2014). Additionally, patients may suffer inappropriate effects,
confused speech or thinking, and strange conduct, in addition to delusions or hallucinations.
Patient with schizophrenia who has improper effects will have an atypical emotional response
to an experience or event, such as laughing when the expected emotional reaction should be
sad. Odd behaviors harm a patient's quality of life; this happens when a schizophrenic
individual has difficulties accomplishing everyday duties, such as maintaining personal
cleanliness and speaking in rhymes, among other things (Pinel, 2014). Symptoms that
negatively impact a person's personality are negative. The inability to express emotions,
speak, or be motivated, in addition to the incapacity to enjoy pleasure, are common
symptoms of schizophrenia. Patients may also become immobile for an undetermined amount
of time (Pinel, 2014).

DSM-5 Diagnostic Criteria for Schizophrenia

Patients diagnosed with schizophrenia have a distorted perspective of reality, which
results in social and vocational difficulties for them. Schizophrenia was formerly classified
into several subcategories, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-V). To include all subtypes, changes were made to the current
DSM, which modified the manner of categorization. Because schizophrenia is one of the
most frequent psychoses, its symptoms may vary from patient to patient and are complicated,
exhibiting both positive and negative manifestations. Labeling schizophrenia as a mental
disorder is inadequate to portray this complex disease (Kambeitz et al., 2014). in reality,

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schizophrenia is more of a disease of the brain and mind—which harms an individual's
behavior due to the abnormality of the brain and mind—rather than a mental disorder.

According to the DSM-V, for a person to be diagnosed with schizophrenia, the
individual must have at least two of the following symptoms: delusions, hallucinations,
disordered speech, disorganized conduct, or negative signs of schizophrenia. A delusion, a
hallucination, or disordered speech must be one of the symptoms of schizophrenia. The
person must have been experiencing these symptoms for at least six months, with one month
of active symptom experience being considered sufficient for eligibility (Pinel, 2014). Social
withdrawals and other odd conduct a