Schizophrenia

It is somewhat unfortunate, however, that this is the term that made its way into the English language and that is now the term used to identify the disease, the reasons for such are mentioned above. His description itself proved to be more accurate than the term describing it, however. The term schizophrenia as denoted by Dr Bleuler included the main symptoms of dementia praecox in conjunction with those of paraphrenia1. According to Tsuang and Faraone's Schizophrenia: The Facts, Dr. Bleuler identified schizophrenia as "thought disorder, emotional blunting, and an impaired relationship with the outside world". This identification has later been formed into the more specific descriptions of positive and negative symptoms, both of which will be examined in greater detail at a later point. .
             As mentioned before, schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder usually characterized by illogicality, hallucinations, and the withdrawal from reality. This ambiguous description alone, however, is not nearly enough for an individual to be diagnosed with schizophrenia. In order for a diagnosis of schizophrenia to be reached, specific criteria must be met. Several diagnostic tools are available to psychologists and psychiatrists that outline these criteria and provide for an accurate description and diagnosis of the individual. The World Heath Organization maintains and publishes the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), which is currently in its tenth edition. Perhaps the more well known classification guide is the set of criteria developed by the American Psychiatric Association, published in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, currently in its fourth edition, hence its more common acronym, "DSM IV". Unfortunately, due to the rapid developments in the area of schizophrenia, some psychiatrists such as Ming T. Tsuang believe the information contained within DSMIV to be outdated and fundamentally flawed.