Is it really sz?

Family
1

A specialist said my relative (M) might have sz. (“preliminary” diagnosis? not sure about the english word for it?)

M displays the whole range of negative symptoms, but never talked about having hallucinations/doesn’t seem to have delusions. Might it be a prodromal phase?

I was watching a Stanford lecture on sz and the lecturer told that one of the tell-tale signs is being unable to think abstractly (understanding proverbs super literally, like, for example, thinking that “a rolling stone gathers no moss” has to do with the stone surface and not understanding the metaphorical meaning). I’ve asked M to guess what “loose lips sink ships” might be about, for it to be more understandable in our language i altered it to “long tongues sink ships” (someone having long tongue is a metaphor for saying too much in our language). He said, oh it’s about mutant frogs sinking ships. I can’t understand whether it was a joke or whether he really thinks so…

Do you have any other tips on how to check someone on sz?

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Hello
An MRI can’t be used to diagnose the illness but the brain scans of people with schizophrenia show changes to white matter: reductions in white matter in the frontal lobe before and after diagnosis and treatment. an increase in another type of white matter, called interstitial white matter neurons, below the cortex. A couple years after his diagnosis. My son had the MRI performed and it did show reductions in the white matter. This helped him realize he has the illness.

My son likes to shave his head occasionally, smokes cigarettes and likes to drink coffee.

He has been on medication for almost 3 years. He was diagnosed in 2017 but wouldn’t take his medicine. Finally he did in 2021. He takes 10 mg of Lybalvi every night. I hope this is helpful.
God bless you and yours.

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thank you for your answer and your support!