Schizophreni The Common Psychotic Disorder - 1697 Words

Schizophrenia is globally the most common psychotic disorder (Holder Wayhs, 2014, p.1). There is no discreet definition of schizophrenia as a disease with a single underlying cause rather it is a set of symptoms diagnosed by clinical observations and the experiences of the patient (Gaebel, 2011). One has to exhibit a number of symptoms for not less than a month to get a Schizophrenia diagnosis. Angelo’s behavior, appearance and conversation suggest that he suffers from the disorder. It is important to manage schizophrenia suffers in a sensitive and appropriate manner to reduce the risk of an episode and improve outcomes for the patient. The odds of inheriting schizophrenia are exceptionally low, around 60% of infected people have had†¦show more content†¦Some risk factors come out as a result of intelligence, geographic factors, famine and malnutrition and socioeconomic factors (Lehman Lieberman, 2004). There are no Laboratory tests for schizophrenia and one is usually diagnosed by having a number of symptoms over a period of over one month. According to ICD clinical symptoms of schizophrenia are defined from the point of the presence and expression of primary and/or secondary symptoms (Andreasen, N. C., Flaum, M. 1991). The symptoms are divided in two classes, that is, negative and positive. Positive symptoms are, Delusions. - This is basically a misconception that one takes to be the truth and cannot be swayed in their opinion no matter how impractical the belief might be. Hallucinations. – This is a sensory perception of things that are actually not there. They could be auditory, visual or even tactile. Agitation/aggression, Disordered thinking, Disordered movement. Angelo seems distracted while in the middle of the conversation and says he heard bad comments and he needs to be careful. This is a direct evidence of hallucination. It is important to find out if the voices are just commenting on the patient and his behavior or commanding them to do something as voices that command has a potential to influence the individual to injure themselves or others.