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Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is characterized by a profound disruption of cognition and
emotion, which affects a person’s language, thought, perception, affect and
even sense of self.
Diagnostic Criteria
Positive Symptoms
Delusions: bizarre beliefs that seem real. They are sometimes paranoid in
nature and may also involve beliefs relating to grandiosity. Belief
behaviour/comments of others are specifically meant for the individual
alone (who is suffering from Schizophrenia).
Experiences of Control: believe they are under control of an alien force that
has invaded their mind or body.
Negative Symptoms
Obsessions
Obsessions are recurrent, intrusive thoughts or impulses that are perceived
as inappropriate, grotesque or forbidden. Obsessions are perceived as
uncontrollable, and sufferers often fear that they will lose control and act
on them.
Compulsions
Compulsions are repetitive behaviours or mental acts reducing the anxiety
that accompanies an obsession or preventing some dreaded event
happening. Compulsions include both obvious behaviours and mental acts.
Diagnostic Criteria
Person displays repetitive behaviours or mental acts that he/she feels driven
to perform in response to an obsession. These behaviours/mental acts either
are not connected in any realistic way with what they are designed to
prevent.
Depression
Mood Disorder affecting a person’s emotional state. Depression is a low
emotional state characterized by high levels of sadness, lack of energy and
self-worth and feelings of guilt. Most people with a mood disorder suffer
only from depression (unipolar or major depressive disorder).
Diagnostic Criteria
Diagnosis: following symptoms should be present for all or most of the time
and should persist for longer than 2 weeks.
Poor appetite and weight loss, or increased appetite and weight gain:
significant weight loss when not dieting or increase/decrease in appetite