On any given day, more than 100,000 individuals crowd public hospitals as diagnosed schizophrenics. Each individual carries with them their own particular brand of the disease, making treatment difficult and diverse. Some patients offer almost no noticeable ailments from their disease, while others are rendered ‘psychotic’, and unable to perform even the simplest of tasks in day-to-day life.  This range of symptoms leaves one main question for doctors: how do we diagnose?

Although there are nearly endless amounts of symptoms for schizophrenia, doctors have categorized five main umbrella terms to help diagnose. Below are a list of the terms and a short description of what the phrases mean.

1. Unusual Realities- People, in everyday life, construct a reality in which everything is perceived. It is the lens through which we view life, how we operate. Many schizophrenics operate from a reality very different from the normal. Their realities exist without rules and concrete perceptions, and lack important landmarks and comfort zones.

2. Hallucinations- Schizophrenics may see, hear, and feel people or things that aren’t actually present.

3. Delusions- This is perhaps schizophrenia’s most widely-publicized symptom. Schizophrenic’s hold beliefs that aren’t proven or backed by anything real. Schizophrenic’s often have feelings of grandeur, and believe they are being chased or persecuted.

4. Disordered thinking- Mild schizophrenics dip into and out of a normal reality. That is, most of the time they are normal, but fall into periods of unordered thoughts. These schizophrenics have difficulty focusing, and their thoughts are fragmented.

5. Emotional Expression- Some schizophrenics have difficulty expressing proper emotional sentiment. For instance, if told of a tragic event their reaction may fall flat. In contrast, they may over-react to simple occurrences.

Ultimately, even with these five umbrella terms to help diagnose schizophrenia, diagnosis is still tough. Normal people have strange quirks, just as schizophrenics could have long periods of acting normal. As time progresses, doctors are finding better procedures to help diagnose, but the disease still remains largely a mystery.