Final answer:
Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness with symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions. It is diagnosed through clinical interviews and medical tests. Treatment commonly involves antipsychotic medications.
Step-by-step explanation:
Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness characterized by symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, difficulty thinking, and problems with social situations. It is diagnosed through a combination of clinical interviews, observation of symptoms, and medical tests to rule out other possible causes. Antipsychotic medications are the mainstay of treatment for schizophrenia, as they work by blocking dopamine receptors and decreasing dopamine neurotransmission in the brain. Other factors that may contribute to the development of schizophrenia include genetic predisposition, biological abnormalities such as malfunctioning dopaminergic neurons, and environmental and sociocultural factors.