Information About Schizophrenia

by Jef Gazley, M.S., LMFT, DCC

As described in the DSM IV, which is the diagnostic bible for the mental health community, Schizophrenia is characterized like this:

• Characteristic symptoms of Schizophrenia: Two or more of the following, each present for a significant portion of time during a one month period or less if successfully treated:
  a . delusions
  b . hallucinations
  c . disorganized speech such as frequent derailment or incoherence
  d . grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior, which means that the person is noncommunicative and often displays restricted movement
  e . negative symptoms, such as a flat afflect, alogia, which is an inability to understand speech, or avolition, which is an inhibition of voluntary action.
• Social/Occupational dysfunction: For a significant portion of the time since the onset of the disturbance of Schizophrenia, one or more major areas of functioning such as work, interpersonal relations, or self-care are markedly below the level achieved prior to the onset (or when the onset is in childhood or adolescence, failure to achieve expected level of interpersonal, academic, or occupational achievement).
• Duration: Continuous signs of the disturbance of Schizophrenia persist for at least 6 months. This 6-month period must include at least 1 month of symptoms (or less if successfully treated) that meet criterion A (i.e., active-phase symptoms) and may include periods of prodromal or residual symptoms. During these prodromal or residual periods, the signs of the disturbance may be manifested by only negative symptoms of two or more symptoms listed in Criterion A present in an attenuated form (e.g., odd beliefs, unusual perceptual experiences).
• Schizoaffective and Mood Disorder exclusion: Schizoaffective Disorder and Mood Disorder With Psychotic Features have been ruled out because either 1) no Major Depressive, Manic, or Mixed Episodes have occurred concurrently with the active-phase symptoms; or 2) if mood episodes have occurred during active-phase symptoms, their total duration has been brief relative to the duration of the active and residual periods.
• Substance/general medical condition exclusion: The disturbance of Schizophrenia is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a general medical condition.
• Relationship to a Pervasive Developmental Disorder: If there is a history of Autistic Disorder or another Pervasive Developmental Disorder, the additional diagnosis of the above mentioned disorder is made only if prominent delusions or hallucinations are also present for at least a month (or less if successfully treated).

The person suffering from this disorder may or may not exhibit paranoia.

by Jef Gazley, M.S., LMFT, DCC