How can you tell if someone has schizophrenia?

i was wondering if schizophrenia is heretitary also. i'd just like some general information on it. i'm 17 and i'm becoming more and more sure i have schizophrenia.
thanks for the help

Rational people CAN NOT diagnose themselves for a mental illness. So if you do have it, you'd wouldn't know it.

mental disorder characterized by abnormalities in the perception or expression of reality. It most commonly manifests as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking with significant social or occupational dysfunction. Onset of symptoms typically occurs in young adulthood,[1] with approximately 0.4鈥?.6%[2][3] of the population affected.

I wouldn't dwell on having this disorder. The drugs used to treat it are not real healthy or safe.
Maybe you just need to restructure your daily habits

It is possible to tell that you have it when you are in the very early stages of it because the part of your mind that tells you when something is wrong hasn't been damaged yet. You could also have the schizo personality disorder, so you might want to look into that or bring it up to your doctor.
As for is schizophrenia hereditary? yes and no. People with no family history have gotten the illness just as people with this mental illness in their families haven't gotten it.
I could have answered better if I had known what makes you certain that you do have it. However me nor anyone else on here can give you a proper diagnosis. Since you have some concerns go to your g/p and tell him/her what is going on, they will refer you to a psychiatrist. If you don't have it, it'll ease your mind, and if you do you'll have caught it early which is better for treatment.
Also, you can go to schizophrenia . com. There are members there who suffer from it, and will answer your questions.
I hope I helped.

record your thoughts for a while (hours, days, weeks0.

read em to yourself and ask yourself if it sounds crazy.

seek a second (possibly professional) opinion if you are unsure.

mental illness accounts for crazy thoughts, so just record 'em and show it off to someone knowledgeable as if showing a bruise on your arm to a doctor.

If you think you have schizophrenia: you don't. People with schizophrenia don't realize that the things the think and do are strange or odd. That's what psychosis MEANS. . . that you have a a distorted view of reality.

you would have to get tested. the normal age for males is in the 20s. yes, it's hereditary.