Posted by xjs7 on November 20, 2002, at 23:04:33
In reply to Diagnosing Schizophrenia, posted by Michael D on November 20, 2002, at 21:19:00
Hi Michael,
All people who have schizophrenia do not have hallucinations. Some forms of the illness, such as the catatonic type or "process schizophrenia" do not involve hallucinations. The one characteristic that is most salient to dianosis is social withdrawal (and even this behavior does not occur in all patients).
If you have florid psychosis is unlikely that a psychiatrist would not see it. People suffering from psychosis, and specifically schizophrenia, often have certain behaviors that psychiatrists detect. When I was diagnosed, one psychotic symptom detected by the psychiatrist was inappropriate affect--emotional expressions that do not agree with the content of thought. Many people will have flat affect, which means that no emotional expressions are present. There is also formal thought disorder, or schizophasia, which, when severe, makes speech unintelligible.
You may be correct in thinking that many people have mild versions of the illness; however, there has to be a point where treatment becomes worthwhile. If you suffer from frequent auditory hallucinations and delusions, then treatment with antipsychotics is usually justified. If, however, you only have mild paranoia, or mild withdrawal, there might not be much benefit in using an antipsychotic agent.
If you think you have schizophrenia, I strongly encourage you to express your feelings to a psychiatrist. If you are prescribed antipsychotic medication it is critical to give the medication adequate time to work. I have done extremely well on antipsychotic medication--I have very few remaining psychotic symptoms. I hope this helps.
xjs7
poster:xjs7
thread:128549
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021116/msgs/128564.html