What is the role of adoption studies in understanding the etiology of schizophrenia?
What is the significance of a maternal uncle with the disease? What genetic testing could you offer this couple? Questions : What is the definition of schizophrenia? Schizophrenia is a thought disorder that impairs jusdgement, behavior, and ability to interpret reality. To satisfy the diagnostic requirements of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), the syndrome must continue for at least 6 months, with at least one month of active symptoms present much of the time, and must result in significant impairment of occupational and social functioning. Because of the variability of symptom expression, diagnostic requirements of chronicity, and lack of pathognomonic features, an ED diagnosis of schizophrenia should be provisional at best. As a diagnosis-by-exclusion, schizophrenia must be distinguished from the numerous psychiatric and organic disorders that also can lead to psychotic disturbances in thinking and behavior such as amnesia, dementia,
