Learn More About Schizophrenia

Defined as: Delusional Disorder

Diagnostic Criteria

A. Delusions lasting for at least 1 month’s duration.

B. Criterion A for Schizophrenia has never been met

Note: Hallucinations, if present are not prominent and are related to the delusional theme (e.g., the sensation of being infested with insects associated with delusions of infestation).

C. Apart from the impact of the delusion(s) or its ramifications, functioning is not markedly impaired and behavior is not obviously odd or bizarre.

D. If mood episodes have occurred concurrently with delusions, their total duration has been brief relative to the duration of the delusional periods.

E. The disturbance is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a general medical condition.

Specify Whether:

• Erotomanic Type: delusions that another person, usually of higher status, is in love with the individual
• Grandiose Type: delusions of inflated worth, power, knowledge, identity, or special relationship to a deity or famous person
• Jealous Type: delusions that the individual’s sexual partner is unfaithful
• Persecutory Type: delusions that the person (or someone to whom the person is close) is being malevolently treated in some way
• Somatic Type: delusions that the person has some physical defect or general medical condition
• Mixed Type: delusions characteristic of more than one of the above types but no one theme predominates
• Unspecified Type: when the dominant delusional belief cannot be clearly determined or is not described in the specific types

Brief Psychotic Disorder

Diagnostic Criteria

A. Presence of one (or more) of the following symptoms:

• delusions
• hallucinations
• disorganized speech (e.g., frequent derailment or incoherence)
• grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior Note: Do not include a symptom if it is a culturally sanctioned response pattern.

B. Duration of an episode of the disturbance is at least 1 day but less than 1 month, with eventual full return to premorbid level of functioning.

C. The disturbance is not better accounted for by a Mood Disorder With Psychotic Features, Schizoaffective Disorder, or Schizophrenia and is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a general medical condition.

Specify if:

With Marked Stressor(s) (brief reactive psychosis): if symptoms occur shortly after and apparently in response to events that, singly or together, would be markedly stressful to almost anyone in similar circumstances in the person's culture

Without Marked Stressor(s): if psychotic symptoms do not occur shortly after, or are not apparently in response to events that, singly or together, would be markedly stressful to almost anyone in similar circumstances in the person's culture

With Postpartum Onset: if onset within 4 weeks postpartum

Schizophrenia can look very different depending on what category their symptoms fall in. The general guideline is that they will appear like someone who has lost touch with reality in one form or another. Maybe they believe things that can't possibly be true like the FBI is after them, or that aliens are talking to them. Many times though schizophrenia is more subtle and there isn't anything noticeably different about them.

Being schizophrenic can be debilitating and can feel like the whole world believes something that is wrong. Schizophrenics don't realize that its their thoughts and beliefs that are backwards so in their view, everyone else is wrong.

Schizophrenics that hear voices will hear sounds and voices that seem to come from somewhere, but there is no external voice. Often these voices can range from friendly, to completely random sounds, and then can quickly shift to being critical and scary. Hearing voices becomes very strenuous and it is hard to get anything accomplished, and hard to socialize or be in public as it becomes more difficult to tell the real sounds from the hallucinations.

Schizophrenia is largely believed to be a genetic or inherited disease, with the likelihood of development increasing if a close relative has also been diagnosed. There is also evidence that some environmental factor, and drug or alcohol abuse can contribute to this disorder.

• Medications are the primary source of treatment for long term control of symptoms
• Self Help (Try Our Self Help Program)
• Working with Our Coaches
• Help from a local therapist is important to help understand how to cope with symptoms and to help educate the individual on best practices for dealing with schizophrenia.