AP PSYCHOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -A principal source of difficulty in this endeavor is the complex nature of the disorder itself, and the inherent weakness of the diagnostic concept of schizophrenia, in that it remains based upon assumptions about an underlying but still unknown disease process.

Detailed explanation-2: -Schizophrenia can be hard to diagnose. There aren’t any tests for it. Substance abuse, medicines, or other medical conditions can produce some of the same symptoms. Many people diagnosed with schizophrenia don’t believe they have it.

Detailed explanation-3: -Diagnosis. Diagnosing schizophrenia is not easy. Sometimes using drugs, such as methamphetamines or LSD, can cause a person to have schizophrenia-like symptoms. The difficulty of diagnosing this illness is compounded by the fact that many people who are diagnosed do not believe they have it.

Detailed explanation-4: -Schizophrenia can usually be diagnosed if: you’ve experienced 1 or more of the following symptoms most of the time for a month: delusions, hallucinations, hearing voices, incoherent speech, or negative symptoms, such as a flattening of emotions.

Detailed explanation-5: -The DSM-5 also got rid of the subtypes as separate diagnostic categories, based on the presenting symptom. This was found to not be helpful, since many subtypes overlapped with one another and were thought to decrease the diagnostic validity, according to the American Psychiatric Association.