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Schizophrenia is commonly, yet incorrectly, viewed as a split personality disorder. The DSM-IV nevertheless defines schizophrenia under several criteria:
Presence of long-term delusions, hallucinations, disorganized behavior, or negative symptoms
Mental and functional deterioration over time
Exclusion of mood or schizoaffective disorders
Exclusion of general medical disorders as possible causes
Exclusion of substance-induced disorder
Schizophrenia patients were traditionally isolated in mental institutions until the advent of pharmacologic treatments. The advent of chlorpromazine resulted in a precipitous drop in the number of institutionalized cases.
Other conditions that may resemble schizophrenia are brief psychotic disorders, schizophreniform disorders, schizoaffective disorders, and delusional disorders.
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