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9990 · 1.1.1

Diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia

9990 Clinical — DSM-5/ICD-11 criteria, symptoms, and reliability of schizophrenia diagnosis.

Need to know

What you need to know

  • Positive symptoms add experiences, such as hallucinations (false perceptions) and delusions (false beliefs).
  • Negative symptoms involve the loss of normal functions, such as avolition (lack of motivation) and affective flattening (reduced emotion).
  • Disorganised symptoms, including confused speech and erratic behaviour, are another key feature.
  • Negative symptoms can have a greater impact on day-to-day functioning and quality of life.

Explanation

Diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia

  1. Positive symptoms add experiences, such as hallucinations (false perceptions) and delusions (false beliefs).
  2. Negative symptoms involve the loss of normal functions, such as avolition (lack of motivation) and affective flattening (reduced emotion).
  3. Disorganised symptoms, including confused speech and erratic behaviour, are another key feature.
  4. Negative symptoms can have a greater impact on day-to-day functioning and quality of life.