diagnosing schizophrenia doctors first rely on symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions.” Because these symptoms may be generated by another disease, doctors are often reluctant to diagnose a patient with schizophrenia unless the symptoms have been present for at least six months” (Torrey, 1983).However, with MRI it may be possible to get a clue to as to if the person might be suffering from schizophrenia. This might be feasible because research has shown that some specific brain structures, the hippocampus regions especially, have been diminished. Also it has been found that there are some functional abnormalities between the normal brain and that of schizophrenic. One such abnormality is reduced blood to the frontal cerebrum. It also has been found through post mortem studies of schizophrenics that they have an abnormal amount of brain cells as well as unusual neural organization, especially in the temporal lobe (Gershon and Reider, 1992). Other evidence that that supports this is that when solving problems such as categorizing a card by color based on recent instructions, the frontal lobes of the schizophrenics do not become as active as that of a normal person. These differences in brain activity can be picked up on MRI devices. (Marquis, 1996). Once schizophrenia has been diagnosed, it is important to seek the proper treatment. It may be necessary to have the schizophrenic hospitalized for a period of time, or they may be able to go through treatment at home. But treatment is all that can be given, as there is no cure for schizophrenia.The most commonly used, and most effective, treatment is through the use of anti-psychotropic drugs. Anti-psychotropic drugs, or neoroleptics, as they are sometimes called, reduce delusions, hallucinations, and act to diminish aggressive or odd behavior. Anti- psychotics are most commonly given in liquid or tablet form. They work by blocking the neurons’ dopamine receptors. Unf...
