Serious mental health illness suffered by 1% of the world population
More commonly diagnosed in men
More commonly diagnosed in cities
More commonly diagnosed in working class
Classification of Schizophrenia
Sz does not have a single defining characteristic.
There are a cluster of symptoms, some of which appear to be unrelated.
There are two major systems for the classification of mental disorders:
International Classification of Disease 10 (ICD-10) – generated from the Word Health Organisation (WHO).
Diagnostic & Statistical Manual Edition 5 (DSM-5) – developed by the American Psychiatric Association (APA).
Positive Symptoms
Atypical symptoms experienced in addition to normal experiences.
Hallucinations
Delusions
Negative Symptoms
Atypical experiences that represent a loss of usual experience.
Avolition
Speech Poverty
Evaluation of the Classification & Diagnosis of Sz
Reliability - the extent to which a finding is consistent. Extent to which psychiatrists can agree on the same diagnosis when independently assessing patients (inter-rater reliability). For a classification system to be reliable, the same diagnosis should be made each time. Therefore different psychiatrists should reach the same decision when assessing a patient.
Validity - the extent to which we are measuring what we are intending to measure. In the case of illness like sz we have to consider the validity of the diagnostic tools
Evaluation of the Classification & Diagnosis of Sz
Co-morbidity - two or more conditions occur together. Usually calls into question validity of their diagnosis and classification - may just be a single condition
Symptom Overlap - Overlap between Sz and other conditions. E.g sz and bpd involve positive symptoms (delusions) and negative like avolition. Questions validity of sz's classification and diagnosis
Cultural Bias- AA and Black British are more likely to be diagnosed with sz. Rates of diagnosis in Africa + West Indies aren't high, diagnosis seems to be beset with culture bias
