Diagnosis of Schizophrenia

Schizophrenic symptoms can be terrifying for the affected person or for their observing friends and the loved ones. If a person experiences schizophrenic symptoms, it is strongly recommended to get the consultation of a doctor immediately. A psychiatrist will better diagnose the symptoms and gives his results accurately. Sometimes, the symptoms may represent a similar illness if not schizophrenia which must be treated. And if it is schizophrenia, the treatment must be started soon after diagnosis at least for better recovery.

Schizophrenia can be classified as a mental illness that comes under psychotic disorders. Schizophrenic patients have psychosis symptoms which keeps them out of touch with reality. There are many other illnesses which include psychotic symptoms. There are no specific tests like blood or brain test for diagnosing schizophrenia. There are specially trained out people to diagnose schizophrenia accurately. The trained people perform several interviews along with some psychological tests to find out the current beliefs, history and symptoms of the patient.

Doctors conclude their results based on these interviews and the verified symptoms with the patient. Schizophrenia cannot be detected by any chemical tests. Recently, several brain imaging techniques have become popular for the determination of the damaged areas of the brain. Such techniques are

• MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging) employs magnets to provide cross-sectional images of the inner structure of the brain.

• SPECT (Single-photon emission computed tomography) employs a scanner, which revolves around the patient’s head, along with multiple detectors for lowering the imaging time.

• PET (Positron emission tomography) employs the injection of a radioactive substance (safe enough for the patient) into the patient’s body which can pass through the brain blood vessels and can be detected by a device for producing images of the brain.

There are certain conditions or illnesses which produce the same symptoms as schizophrenia. Hence they are often mistaken to be schizophrenia. They need to be ruled out for proper diagnosis. Such conditions include

• Drug abuse

Consumption of hallucinogenic drugs like LSD or mescaline might result in seeing or hearing things which are actually not present by the individual.

• Epilepsy

This can disturb the brain’s electrical signaling and hence it is a trigger for seizure. Seizure is also marked as an involuntary movement that can resemble like seeing or hearing things which are actually not present.

• Brain tumor

An extra-growth in the brain irrespective of the area can lead to some behavioral changes.

• Encephalitis

This includes inflammation in the brain.

• Thyroid disorders

A hyperactive thyroid can release high amounts of thyroid hormone into the bloodstream. In such an occasion, a person feels apprehensive or delirious.

• Hypoglycemia

When there are low sugar levels in the blood, it may result in lethargy and a confused state.

• Wilson’s disease

A rare disease, occurring through heredity, where there will be copper accumulation in the RBCs, which in turn may affect the brain and cause dementia.

• Alzheimer’s disease

Besides many drugs prescribed as medicine can also at times mimic the schizophrenic symptoms like delusions, severe confusion, especially in elder people. Though there are many disorders very different from schizophrenia, they may have some similarities. Hence they are grouped under 'schizoaffective disorders'.