[5] Formally, diagnosis entails the patient having had schizophrenia within the past year, a number of schizophrenic symptoms, and depression being present for two weeks or more.
[5] Mild schizophrenic signs may be withdrawing socially, agitation or hostility, and irregular sleep such as in the case of insomnia and hypersomnia.
[6] There is strong evidence of stigma-related isolation against those with mental illnesses in a variety of societies, especially those with schizophrenia as they are often viewed as dangerous and unpredictable.
[3] Therapists are also believed to engage the depression in people with schizophrenia, having given too much psychotherapy after the patient had overcome their schizophrenic symptoms.
[14] The ICD-10 Classification of Mental and Behavioural Disorders officially recognizes suicide as being a prominent aspect of post-schizophrenic depression.
[editorializing] For a number of years, scholars debated amongst themselves whether or not antipsychotic drugs had a tendency to increase depression or simply help the patient manage their mental illness.
However, conclusive evidence points to antipsychotic drugs actually helping patients with their depression while simultaneously assisting in the suppression of schizophrenic episodes.
[10] Specifically risperidone, olanzapine, quetiapine, fluphenazine, haloperidol, and L-sulpiride have done the best in drug trials pertaining to people with schizophrenia.
The opportunity to become a working citizen is another way to ward off depression in patients with schizophrenia, helping them create social ties and a feeling of accomplishment.