Distinguishing Schizophrenia: Assessment Strategies
The purpose of required threaded discussions is an interactive dialogue among instructors and students to assist the student in organizing, integrating, applying, and critically appraising one’s knowledge regarding the nursing profession and selected area of practice. Scholarly information obtained from current sources as well as professional communication is required. The articles should have been published within the past 5 years and be peer reviewed. In some cases, you will need to pull in content from the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).
Application of information to advance practice nursing experiences promotes the analysis and use of principles, knowledge and information learned and related to real-life clinical situations. Interactive dialogue among instructors and peers fosters the development of a learning community as ideas, perspectives and knowledge is shared.
Due Date: First initial posting to the required threaded discussion topic is due by Friday, 11:59 pm EST.
Peer and instructor responses are due by Tuesday 11:59 pm EST. Please note points will be deducted for same day post.
Total Points Possible: 50 points.
Schizophrenia Assessment
Diagnostic Challenges
Diagnosing Schizophrenia
When diagnosing schizophrenia, you must distinguish it from other disorders in the schizophrenia spectrum. Conditions like schizoaffective disorder and brief psychotic disorder can present similar symptoms. Co-occurring symptoms complicate this process. For example, patients may show delusions or hallucinations (Sadeghi et al., 2022).
A thorough evaluation involves several steps. First, identify the onset, duration, and severity of the patient’s symptoms. Next, gather information about any precursors the patient has noticed and their past illness history (Sadeghi et al., 2022).
One effective strategy is to assess the continuity of psychotic symptoms. Schizophrenia typically presents with symptoms lasting at least six months. In contrast, other conditions may show shorter episodes (McCutcheon et al., 2019). Additionally, inquire about family history and substance use to rule out substance-induced psychosis (McCutcheon et al., 2019).
Leveraging DSM-5 Criteria
The DSM-5 criteria provide a clearer framework for diagnosing schizophrenia. These criteria consider positive symptoms like delusions and hallucinations, negative symptoms such as social withdrawal and affective flattening, and cognitive issues like disorganized thinking (Levin-Aspenson, 2024).
During the assessment, I ensure to mark the five core symptoms. I focus on both the positive and negative symptoms unique to schizophrenia (Levin-Aspenson, 2024)..APA