A delusion is commonly defined as a fixed false belief and is used in everyday language to describe a belief that is either false, fanciful or derived from deception. In psychiatry, the definition is necessarily more precise and implies that the belief is pathological (the result of an illness or illness process). Delusions typically occur in the context of neurological or mental illness, although they are not tied to any particular disease and have been found to occur in the context of many pathological states (both physical a ...

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Delusion - Psychiatric definition Delusion - Primary and Secondary Delusions Delusion - Diagnostic issues

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Jaspers originally made a distinction between primary and secondary delusions. According to Jaspers, primary delusions (sometimes called true delusions) are distinguished by a transformation of meaning, so that the world, or aspects of it, are interpreted in a radically different way by the delusional person. To others, this interpretation is 'un-understandable' in terms of the normal mental causality, mood, environmental influences and other psychological or psychopathological factors. Jaspers describes four types of primary delusion ...

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Delusion, Delusion - Psychiatric definition, Delusion - Primary and Secondary Delusions, Delusion - Diagnostic issues

Read more here: » Delusion: Encyclopedia II - Delusion - Primary and Secondary Delusions

Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness characterized by persistent defects in the perception or expression of reality. A person experiencing untreated schizophrenia typically demonstrates grossly disorganized thinking, and may also experience delusions or auditory hallucinations. Although the illness primarily affects cognition, it can also contribute to chronic problems with behavior or emotions. Due to the many possible combinations of symptoms, it is difficult to say whether it is in fact a single psychiatric disorder; and Eugen Bleuler deliberately called the disease "the schizo ...

Including:

Schizophrenia - Overview Schizophrenia - History Schizophrenia - Diagnosis
Schizophrenia - Criteria signs and symptoms Schizophrenia - Subtypes Schizophrenia - Presentation Schizophrenia - Diagnostic issues and controversies
Schizophrenia - Causes
Schizophrenia - Genetic and environmental influences Schizophrenia - Neurobiological influences
Schizophrenia - Incidence and prevalence Schizophrenia - Treatment
Schizophrenia - Medication and hospitalization Schizophrenia - Therapy and community support
Schizophrenia - Prognosis Schizophrenia - Schizophrenia and drug use
Schizophrenia - Hallucinogens Schizophrenia - Cannabis Schizophrenia - Tobacco
Schizophrenia - Schizophrenia and violence
Schizophrenia - Violence perpetrated by people with schizophrenia Schizophrenia - Violence against people with schizophrenia
Schizophrenia - Alternative approaches to schizophrenia Schizophrenia - Notable people affected by schizophrenia Schizophrenia - General reading

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Schizophrenia is often described in terms of "positive" and "negative" symptoms. Positive symptoms include delusions, auditory hallucinations and thought disorder and are typically regarded as manifestations of psychosis. Negative symptoms are so named because they are considered to be the loss or absence of normal traits or abilities, and include features such as flat, blunted or constricted affect and emotion, poverty of speech and lack of motivation. Some models of schizophrenia include formal thought disorder and planning difficulties in a ...

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Schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Overview, Schizophrenia - History, Schizophrenia - Diagnosis, Schizophrenia - Criteria signs and symptoms, Schizophrenia - Subtypes, Schizophrenia - Presentation, Schizophrenia - Diagnostic issues and controversies, Schizophrenia - Causes, Schizophrenia - Genetic and environmental influences, Schizophrenia - Neurobiological influences, Schizophrenia - Incidence and prevalence, Schizophrenia - Treatment, Schizophrenia - Medication and hospitalization, Schizophrenia - Therapy and community support, Schizophrenia - Prognosis, Schizophrenia - Schizophrenia and drug use, Schizophrenia - Hallucinogens, Schizophrenia - Cannabis, Schizophrenia - Tobacco, Schizophrenia - Schizophrenia and violence, Schizophrenia - Violence perpetrated by people with schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Violence against people with schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Alternative approaches to schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Notable people affected by schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - General reading

Read more here: » Schizophrenia: Encyclopedia II - Schizophrenia - Overview

Accounts that may relate to symptoms of schizophrenia date back as far as 2000 BC in the Book of Hearts, part of the ancient Ebers papyrus. However, a recent study1 into the ancient Greek and Roman literature showed that, while the general population probably had an awareness of psychotic disorders, there was no recorded condition that would meet the modern diagnostic crite ...

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Schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Overview, Schizophrenia - History, Schizophrenia - Diagnosis, Schizophrenia - Criteria signs and symptoms, Schizophrenia - Subtypes, Schizophrenia - Presentation, Schizophrenia - Diagnostic issues and controversies, Schizophrenia - Causes, Schizophrenia - Genetic and environmental influences, Schizophrenia - Neurobiological influences, Schizophrenia - Incidence and prevalence, Schizophrenia - Treatment, Schizophrenia - Medication and hospitalization, Schizophrenia - Therapy and community support, Schizophrenia - Prognosis, Schizophrenia - Schizophrenia and drug use, Schizophrenia - Hallucinogens, Schizophrenia - Cannabis, Schizophrenia - Tobacco, Schizophrenia - Schizophrenia and violence, Schizophrenia - Violence perpetrated by people with schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Violence against people with schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Alternative approaches to schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Notable people affected by schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - General reading

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Schizophrenia - Criteria signs and symptoms. Like many mental illnesses, the diagnosis of schizophrenia is based upon the behavior of the person being assessed. There is a list of criteria that must be met for someone to be so diagnosed. These depend on both the presence and duration of certain signs and symptoms. The most commonly used criteria for diagnosing schizophrenia are from the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and the World Health Organ ...

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Schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Overview, Schizophrenia - History, Schizophrenia - Diagnosis, Schizophrenia - Criteria signs and symptoms, Schizophrenia - Subtypes, Schizophrenia - Presentation, Schizophrenia - Diagnostic issues and controversies, Schizophrenia - Causes, Schizophrenia - Genetic and environmental influences, Schizophrenia - Neurobiological influences, Schizophrenia - Incidence and prevalence, Schizophrenia - Treatment, Schizophrenia - Medication and hospitalization, Schizophrenia - Therapy and community support, Schizophrenia - Prognosis, Schizophrenia - Schizophrenia and drug use, Schizophrenia - Hallucinogens, Schizophrenia - Cannabis, Schizophrenia - Tobacco, Schizophrenia - Schizophrenia and violence, Schizophrenia - Violence perpetrated by people with schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Violence against people with schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Alternative approaches to schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Notable people affected by schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - General reading

Read more here: » Schizophrenia: Encyclopedia II - Schizophrenia - Diagnosis

Schizophrenia - Genetic and environmental influences. While the reliability of the schizophrenia diagnosis introduces difficulties in measuring the relative effect of genes and environment (for example, symptoms overlap to some extent with severe bipolar disorder or major depression), there is evidence to suggest that genetic vulnerability and environmental stressors can ac ...

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Schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Overview, Schizophrenia - History, Schizophrenia - Diagnosis, Schizophrenia - Criteria signs and symptoms, Schizophrenia - Subtypes, Schizophrenia - Presentation, Schizophrenia - Diagnostic issues and controversies, Schizophrenia - Causes, Schizophrenia - Genetic and environmental influences, Schizophrenia - Neurobiological influences, Schizophrenia - Incidence and prevalence, Schizophrenia - Treatment, Schizophrenia - Medication and hospitalization, Schizophrenia - Therapy and community support, Schizophrenia - Prognosis, Schizophrenia - Schizophrenia and drug use, Schizophrenia - Hallucinogens, Schizophrenia - Cannabis, Schizophrenia - Tobacco, Schizophrenia - Schizophrenia and violence, Schizophrenia - Violence perpetrated by people with schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Violence against people with schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Alternative approaches to schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Notable people affected by schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - General reading

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Schizophrenia is typically diagnosed in late adolescence or early adulthood. It is found approximately equally in men and women, though the onset tends to be later in women, who also tend to have a better course and outcome. The lifetime prevalence of schizophrenia is commonly given at 1%; however, a recent review of studies from around the world estimated it to be 0.55%34. The same study also found that prevalence may vary greatly from country to country, despite the received ...

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Schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Overview, Schizophrenia - History, Schizophrenia - Diagnosis, Schizophrenia - Criteria signs and symptoms, Schizophrenia - Subtypes, Schizophrenia - Presentation, Schizophrenia - Diagnostic issues and controversies, Schizophrenia - Causes, Schizophrenia - Genetic and environmental influences, Schizophrenia - Neurobiological influences, Schizophrenia - Incidence and prevalence, Schizophrenia - Treatment, Schizophrenia - Medication and hospitalization, Schizophrenia - Therapy and community support, Schizophrenia - Prognosis, Schizophrenia - Schizophrenia and drug use, Schizophrenia - Hallucinogens, Schizophrenia - Cannabis, Schizophrenia - Tobacco, Schizophrenia - Schizophrenia and violence, Schizophrenia - Violence perpetrated by people with schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Violence against people with schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Alternative approaches to schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Notable people affected by schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - General reading

Read more here: » Schizophrenia: Encyclopedia II - Schizophrenia - Incidence and prevalence

Schizophrenia - Medication and hospitalization. The first line treatment for schizophrenia is usually the use of antipsychotic medication. The newer atypical antipsychotic medications (such as clozapine, risperidone, olanzapine, quetiapine, ziprasidone and aripiprazole) are preferred over older typical antipsychotic medications (such as chlorpromazine and haloperidol) due to their favorable side-effect profile. Compared to the typical antipsychotics, the atypicals are associated with a lower incident rate of extr ...

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Schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Overview, Schizophrenia - History, Schizophrenia - Diagnosis, Schizophrenia - Criteria signs and symptoms, Schizophrenia - Subtypes, Schizophrenia - Presentation, Schizophrenia - Diagnostic issues and controversies, Schizophrenia - Causes, Schizophrenia - Genetic and environmental influences, Schizophrenia - Neurobiological influences, Schizophrenia - Incidence and prevalence, Schizophrenia - Treatment, Schizophrenia - Medication and hospitalization, Schizophrenia - Therapy and community support, Schizophrenia - Prognosis, Schizophrenia - Schizophrenia and drug use, Schizophrenia - Hallucinogens, Schizophrenia - Cannabis, Schizophrenia - Tobacco, Schizophrenia - Schizophrenia and violence, Schizophrenia - Violence perpetrated by people with schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Violence against people with schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Alternative approaches to schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Notable people affected by schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - General reading

Read more here: » Schizophrenia: Encyclopedia II - Schizophrenia - Treatment

Prognosis for any particular individual affected by schizophrenia is particularly hard to judge as treatment and access to treatment is continually changing, as new methods become available and medical recommendations change. A retrospective study has shown that about a third of people make a full recovery, about a third show improvement but not a full recovery, and a third remain illSee also:

Schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Overview, Schizophrenia - History, Schizophrenia - Diagnosis, Schizophrenia - Criteria signs and symptoms, Schizophrenia - Subtypes, Schizophrenia - Presentation, Schizophrenia - Diagnostic issues and controversies, Schizophrenia - Causes, Schizophrenia - Genetic and environmental influences, Schizophrenia - Neurobiological influences, Schizophrenia - Incidence and prevalence, Schizophrenia - Treatment, Schizophrenia - Medication and hospitalization, Schizophrenia - Therapy and community support, Schizophrenia - Prognosis, Schizophrenia - Schizophrenia and drug use, Schizophrenia - Hallucinogens, Schizophrenia - Cannabis, Schizophrenia - Tobacco, Schizophrenia - Schizophrenia and violence, Schizophrenia - Violence perpetrated by people with schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Violence against people with schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Alternative approaches to schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Notable people affected by schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - General reading

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The relationship between schizophrenia and drug use is complex, meaning that a clear causal connection between drug use and schizophrenia has been difficult to tease apart. There is strong evidence that using certain drugs can trigger either the onset or relapse of schizophrenia in some people. It may also be the case, however, that people with schizophrenia use drugs to overcome negative feelings associated with the commonly prescribed antipsychotic medication, and the disorder itself, where negative emotion, paranoia and anhedonia are all considered to be core features. ...

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Schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Overview, Schizophrenia - History, Schizophrenia - Diagnosis, Schizophrenia - Criteria signs and symptoms, Schizophrenia - Subtypes, Schizophrenia - Presentation, Schizophrenia - Diagnostic issues and controversies, Schizophrenia - Causes, Schizophrenia - Genetic and environmental influences, Schizophrenia - Neurobiological influences, Schizophrenia - Incidence and prevalence, Schizophrenia - Treatment, Schizophrenia - Medication and hospitalization, Schizophrenia - Therapy and community support, Schizophrenia - Prognosis, Schizophrenia - Schizophrenia and drug use, Schizophrenia - Hallucinogens, Schizophrenia - Cannabis, Schizophrenia - Tobacco, Schizophrenia - Schizophrenia and violence, Schizophrenia - Violence perpetrated by people with schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Violence against people with schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Alternative approaches to schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Notable people affected by schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - General reading

Read more here: » Schizophrenia: Encyclopedia II - Schizophrenia - Schizophrenia and drug use

Schizophrenia - Violence perpetrated by people with schizophrenia. Although schizophrenia is sometimes associated with violence in the media, only a small minority of people with schizophrenia become violent, and only a minority of people who commit criminal violence have been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Research has suggested that schizophrenia is associated with a slight increase in risk of violence, although this risk is largely due to a small sub-group of individuals for whom violence is associated w ...

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Schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Overview, Schizophrenia - History, Schizophrenia - Diagnosis, Schizophrenia - Criteria signs and symptoms, Schizophrenia - Subtypes, Schizophrenia - Presentation, Schizophrenia - Diagnostic issues and controversies, Schizophrenia - Causes, Schizophrenia - Genetic and environmental influences, Schizophrenia - Neurobiological influences, Schizophrenia - Incidence and prevalence, Schizophrenia - Treatment, Schizophrenia - Medication and hospitalization, Schizophrenia - Therapy and community support, Schizophrenia - Prognosis, Schizophrenia - Schizophrenia and drug use, Schizophrenia - Hallucinogens, Schizophrenia - Cannabis, Schizophrenia - Tobacco, Schizophrenia - Schizophrenia and violence, Schizophrenia - Violence perpetrated by people with schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Violence against people with schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Alternative approaches to schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Notable people affected by schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - General reading

Read more here: » Schizophrenia: Encyclopedia II - Schizophrenia - Schizophrenia and violence

An approach broadly known as the anti-psychiatry movement, notably most active in the 1960s, has opposed the orthodox medical view of schizophrenia as an illness. Psychiatrist Thomas Szasz has argued that psychiatric patients are not ill but are just individuals with unconventional thoughts and behavior that make society uncomfortable. He argues that society unjustly seeks to control such individuals by classifying their behavior as an illness and forcibly treating them as a method of social control. An important but subtle point is t ...

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Schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Overview, Schizophrenia - History, Schizophrenia - Diagnosis, Schizophrenia - Criteria signs and symptoms, Schizophrenia - Subtypes, Schizophrenia - Presentation, Schizophrenia - Diagnostic issues and controversies, Schizophrenia - Causes, Schizophrenia - Genetic and environmental influences, Schizophrenia - Neurobiological influences, Schizophrenia - Incidence and prevalence, Schizophrenia - Treatment, Schizophrenia - Medication and hospitalization, Schizophrenia - Therapy and community support, Schizophrenia - Prognosis, Schizophrenia - Schizophrenia and drug use, Schizophrenia - Hallucinogens, Schizophrenia - Cannabis, Schizophrenia - Tobacco, Schizophrenia - Schizophrenia and violence, Schizophrenia - Violence perpetrated by people with schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Violence against people with schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Alternative approaches to schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - Notable people affected by schizophrenia, Schizophrenia - General reading

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Although non-specific concepts of madness have been around for several thousand years, the psychiatrist and philosopher Karl Jaspers was the first to define the three main criteria for a belief to be considered delusional in his book General Psychopathology. These criteria are: certainty (held with absolute conviction) incorrigibility (not changeable by compelling counterargument or proof to the contrary) impossibility or falsity of conte ...

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Delusion, Delusion - Psychiatric definition, Delusion - Primary and Secondary Delusions, Delusion - Diagnostic issues

Read more here: » Delusion: Encyclopedia II - Delusion - Psychiatric definition