Doctors make the diagnosis based on positive and negative
symptoms. The prominent positive symptoms are: abnormal
thinking, delusions and hallucinations. The negative symptoms
are characterized by less interest, decreased emotional
responsiveness, trying to be isolated and poor concentration on
work.
There are different types of this mental condition. Paranoid
schizophrenia, hebephrenic schizophrenia, catatonic type,
undifferentiated schizophrenia, residual and simple types.
There may be post schizophrenic depression is seen in many
patients after illness.
When we talk about the treatments for schizophrenia, drugs
alone cannot give a good prognosis. We should include talking
treatments, community care, social and vocational training and
medications in the treatment plan. Drugs using to treat
schizophrenia are neuroleptics (antipsychotics) as risperidone
amisulpride, olanzapine and paliperidone.
There are no effective prevention methods since there is no
reliable evidence of the development of this disorder. The only
manageable preventive method is avoidance of drugs as
cannabis, cocaine and etc.