Diagnosis

The onset of schizophrenia occurs between the late teens and mid 30’s. The disorder will persist for a person’s entire life, either continually or episodically. Usually, a complete remission of the disorder will not occur. Psychiatrists often find that mental disorders are hard to [|diagnosis]. Not every patient will experience the same exact symptoms. In addition, other mental disorders may be present along with schizophrenia, making the diagnosis much more difficult. Eugene Bleuler, a Swiss psychiatrist who named this disorder, believed that schizophrenia might be various different disorders that appear as schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is not always easy to diagnose since there is not a laboratory test. However,[|psychological testing] will ta  ke place. During psychological testing, those with schizophrenia will generally exhibit behavior such as poor attention, slowed responses, inadequate memory, and altered brain laterality (the preference of one side of the body over the other). Doctors essentially rely on the patient’s self-reports to diagnosis schizophrenia. To diagn osis schizophrenia there must be a psychotic phase that lasts at least one month. This psychotic phase includes delusions, bizarre behavior, and hallucinations. Other things like past and present mental health, family history, and the presence of other mental disorders may assist in the diagnosis of schizophrenia. Once a patient has reported specific symptoms of schizophrenia a physician may diagnosis them. Presently, there are not any lab tests to diagnose schizophrenia. Genetics and early (childhood) experiences has proven to affect the diagnosis of this disorder. Doctors may look at the chemistry of a person’s [|brain to diagnose schizophrenia] by using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Increased dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain, production is present in diagnosed schizophrenic patients consistently. Dopamine aids in the management of movement and emotions. The increased activity of dopamine results in signal transduction, or the reversal of a stimulus. Researchers and doctors believe that schizophrenia and the brain are related; further research is being conducted on the relationship. 

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