Diagnosing schizophrenia

Diagnosing schizophrenia is complicated. There's no straightforward test for schizophrenia. But if you're experiencing symptoms, it's important to talk to your doctor.

They can refer you to a psychiatrist or psychologist, who will assess you. They should ask you questions about how your symptoms impact your day-to-day life and they should look at your physical health too.

Schizophrenia can be problematic to diagnose, and can be misdiagnosed.

For example, many other conditions share overlapping symptoms with schizophrenia. These include:

So doctors might find it hard to decide which diagnosis fits you best.

Also, one of the most common symptoms of schizophrenia is psychosis. But psychosis doesn't always mean you have schizophrenia. It's possible to have an episode of psychosis without meeting the criteria for a diagnosis of schizophrenia.

It's also possible that you can have more than one diagnosis at once.

If you're worried that your diagnosis of schizophrenia is wrong, ask for a second opinion. 

What causes schizophrenia?

The symptoms of schizophrenia could have a range of causes and explanations. There's a lot that researchers still don't know.

But schizophrenia symptoms are likely to be caused by a combination of factors. These factors will be different for everybody. These could be personal, environmental and inherited. They could include:

  • Stressful life events - highly stressful, traumatic or life-changing events can sometimes trigger symptoms.
     
  • Cannabis and other drugs - some people may develop symptoms after using drugs. Most research is on cannabis but there is also some research on other drugs like LSD and cocaine. There is still more research to be done on this, but there's evidence that using recreational drugs can make symptoms worse. 
     
  • Family inheritance - you are more likely to have symptoms of schizophrenia if you have a parent or sibling who has the same symptoms. Researchers aren't yet sure why, but think that some genes may make it more likely. 
     
  • Birth complications - sometimes, symptoms of schizophrenia may be linked to complications before or during your birth which impact the way that your brain develops. 
     
  • Brain differences - some researchers think that symptoms may be due to differences in the brain, the way it develops and levels of brain chemicals. However, these differences don't explain all symptoms of schizophrenia.