text: how do i know if i have schizophrenia?   the word "schizophrenia" is simply a label used to categorise a list of psychosocial traits that psychiatry considers to be improper or abnormal in society. psychiatry defines these traits as a "mental illness", and promotes it as a "disease" that requires "treatment".  it is not a "disease", despite claims made in certain peoples answers here. there is no credible scientific evidence that shows the existence of what constitutes "schizophrenia" as a biological/neurological disorder, brain abnormality or "chemical imbalance".  "for a disease to exist there must be a tangible, objective physical abnormality that can be determined by a test such as, but not limited to, blood or urine test, x-ray, brain scan or biopsy. all reputable doctors would agree: no physical abnormality, no disease. in psychiatry, no test or brain scan exists to prove that a 'mental disorder' is a physical disease. disingenuous comparisons between physical and mental illness and medicine are simply part of psychiatry's orchestrated but fraudulent public relations and marketing campaign." fred a. baughman jr., md (neurologist, pediatric neurology), & fellow at the american academy of neurology.  "chemical imbalance…it’s a shorthand term really, it’s probably drug industry derived… we don’t have tests because to do it, you’d probably have to take a chunk of brain out of someone - not a good idea." dr. mark graff, chair of the committee of public affairs for the american psychiatric association. july, 2005.  symptoms that psychiatry labels as "schizophrenia" (or it's related disorders), can stem from any number of variable sources. many people have overcome disorders such as "bipolar" and "schizophrenia" through effective megavitamin therapy and effective nutrition. a growing wealth of evidence supports that underlying nutritional deficiencies can cause even the most severe mental disorders, including "schizophrenia". [1,2,3,4,5,6]   you may also be interested to know that the work undertaken by pioneers such as dr. lars martensson and the late dr. loren mosher show that there is also another way - far safer and more effective than psychiatric restraint, drugs and electro-shocks. for over a decade loren r mosher, md, held a central position in american psychiatric research. he was the first chief of the center for studies of schizophrenia at the national institute of mental health, 1969-1980. he founded the schizophrenia bulletin and for ten years he was its editor-in-chief. he also led the soteria project, which demonstrated that effective rehabilitation is possible without harmful antipsychotic drugs. soteria provided a safe and sane environment where schizophrenic patients could stay, medication-free, with a young, nonprofessional staff trained to listen to and understand them and provide companionship. the idea was that schizophrenia can often be overcome with the help of meaningful relationships, rather than with drugs, and that such treatment would eventually lead to unquestionably healthier lives. the results were fantastic. over just 6 weeks, patients recovered as quickly as those treated with medication in hospitals. [7,8]   bottom line? psychiatry is a belief-system, a "faith", not a science. despite the huge marketing strategies, the so-called "research" and all the propaganda thrown at the world, there is not one iota of scientific evidence that proves that "schizophrenia" or any mental illness, in fact, exists as an actual --medical disease--.  if you have been told differently then know this: you have been lied to.  for more information, please visit:  http://groups.msn.com/psychbusters decoding psychiatric propaganda  see also http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/articles/default.htm#s and http://www.webcom.com/thrive/schizo/