Richard Gallagher, MD, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at New York Medical College and also a faculty member of the Columbia University Psychoanalytic Center, discusses best practices in diagnosing schizophrenia. He describes the key criteria as the following:
1.tSymptoms within a 6 month duration
2.tDeterioration in social and occupational functioning
3.tMore than 2 negative symptoms.

Negative symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, disorganizes speech and apathy.

Schizophrenia is a multisystem disease.

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