“Schizophrenia is considered one of the most disabling of all the mental illnesses. According to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (Shore,1986), about “1% of the population develop schizophrenia during their lives.” The prevalence among men and women is about the same. Generally, a person with schizophrenia …show more content…
Nevertheless, you will participate in numerous conversations in which diagnosis is discussed and deliberated. It is important that you be able to follow these discussions and understand how the diagnosis is reached.” (Nancy Summers,2003,p.224) “The diagnosis of schizophrenia may be given if several criteria are met on the first set of criteria, referred to as Criterion A. The client must have two of the following symptoms from Criterion A: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, grossly disorganized behaviour or catatonic behaviour, or negative symptoms such as a flat affect. Only one of these criteria needs to be met “if the delusions are bizarre or the hallucinations consist of a voice keeping up a running commentary on the person 's behaviour or thoughts, or two or more voices conversing with each other” Following are some other factors that are considered in diagnosing a person who may have …show more content…
There are two common characteristics of psychosis: hallucinations and delusions. A person may have only one or both of them during an acute episode. Other signs and symptoms are distorted reality, preoccupation, movement, disordered thinking, emotional expression and lack of motivation.” (Nancy Summers,2003,p.220-221) The lifestyle of a person “living with schizophrenia has six main important requirements in their lifestyle. Number one is sleep, it is extremely important that people with schizophrenia get enough sleep. Number two is trouble falling asleep, some clinicians have found that difficulty falling asleep is a reliable early sign of a relapse. Number three is caffeine, for many individuals with schizophrenia, only one cup of coffee can cause a sense of disorientation and disorganized thinking. Number four is other stimulants, five is alcohol. Six is marijuana, for most people with schizophrenia, marijuana can cause restlessness and paranoid thinking soon after it is smoked. Lastly, nicotine and cigarettes, nicotine is a mild stimulant. Many people with schizophrenia smoke, with little effect on their illness.” (Nancy