# MHApps Take Control – Diagnosis – How is Diagnosis And Naming Of Illness Decided – Symptoms and Signs

Diagnosis
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- How is a diagnosis decided upon? Below is a diagram. On the inside circle are the main diagnosis such as schizophrenia, depression or bipolar disorder. The outside circles contain different symptoms a person would need to experience. In order to receive a diagnosis, we must experience a number of these symptoms over a period of weeks.
  It is also important to remember that you can experience any combination of symptoms within the circles and not receive any diagnosis or be diagnosed with a schizoaffective illness (those diagnosed as having schizoaffective disorder may actually have schizophrenia with prominent mood symptoms). Or they may have a mood disorder with symptoms similar to those of schizophrenia. In the boxes below are simple examples as to why we get a particular diagnosis and what it involves.
  The diagnosis received is a general classification only, and a person will not experience all the symptoms. Most people, however, do have at least one prominent and difficult symptom, which limits how they live their life.
  The diagram opposite is for demonstration purposes only. It is a simplified tool to aid understanding of how a diagnosis of mental illness may be arrived at.

- If you are experiencing symptoms from the blue circle, which include: loss of hope, sadness, weight loss, lack of interest in sex, physical slowing or agitation and some from the yellow circle, such as isolation, panic attacks, self harm, loss of feelings, you may receive a diagnosis of depression.

- If you experience symptoms from the orange circle voice hearing, or seeing images, plus symptoms from the red circle such as paranoia and delusions, as well as experiencing symptoms from the purple circle, you may well be given a diagnosis of schizophrenia.

- If you experience symptoms from the green circle such as very high energy, risk taking behaviour, extreme excitement, aggression; and at other times symptoms from the blue circle occur, loss of hope, sadness, slowing down physically, isolation or lack of interest in sex, you may receive a diagnosis of bipolar disorder.

Diagnosis
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