The History of Schizophrenia: Uncovering the truth behind the misconception
Chinedum Nkemakolam
College of Staten Island, City University of New York Schizophrenia is a truly peculiar ailment, not only due to the nature of its symptoms, but also the vast range of interpretations it has been subject to over the ages. It has been attributed to terms such as “madness” or “possession”, and even mislabeled by those who have not taken the time to conduct in-depth research concerning its origins or agents of causation. This general misunderstanding of the disease has led to many controversies concerning the treatments and care given to those afflicted. I believe that even with the present advances in medicine and psychological awareness, the true definite causes and most effective treatments for schizophrenia are far from being discovered, mainly due to the constant generalization of symptoms among psychological disorders attributed to the society’s high demand for some form of treatment (no matter how minor the effect is), as well as the desire of drug companies to allocate revenue from the sale of pharmaceuticals. In spite of this, there is still the potential for a cure to be discovered in the far future, due to biogenetic research currently being conducted in order to better understand this disease.
History of Schizophrenia
Arrival of the notion
Schizophrenia has been observed and studied since the 1800’s. It was originally categorized as a type of dementia by Dr.
In an attempt to gain a position as a psychologist, I will be discussing schizophrenia and the disorder’s casual factors, associated symptoms, the areas of the brain it affects, and the neural basis of the disorder. I will continue on to discuss appropriate drug therapies. In addition I will also be reviewing two separate case studies, each on a different disorder. I will be examining each problem from the perspective of a bio psychologist. I will define the patient’s diagnosis at length I will relate each case to the nature-nurture theory, and talk about any helpful drug interventions or solutions for each disorder. When talking about drug intervention, it is also important to discuss the positive and
Beecher (2009) states that a medical model perspective has dominated throughout the mental health practice. The medical model also known as the (biomedical model), impacts the course of treatment available to individuals with schizophrenia (Beecher, 2009). The literature shows that the perception of schizophrenia has commonly been informed from a medical model paradigm (Beresford, 2005; Lightburn, 2005), which views schizophrenia as a disorder of the brain in the central nervous system which can be fixed through pharmacological and physical treatment (Beecher, 2009). The medical model of schizophrenia arose as the reaction to historical notions that individuals with a mental illness were possessed, mad and at fault for their illnesses (Beecher, 2009). The medical model has also been criticized for being too limited and too problem focused and simplistic and not accounting for a person’s external environment (Ashford et al., 2006; Sayce, 2000 as cited by Beecher, 2009). Many individuals exhibit false misconceptions and hold relativity little knowledge about people living with a mental illness (Bell et al. 2006; Mason & Miller 2006). Many of these misconceptions are constructed amongst health care professionals and the
Schizophrenia is a complex and puzzling illness. Even the experts in the field are not exactly sure what causes it. Some doctors think that the brain may not
This paper defines schizophrenia from a biological and psychological perspective and also provides treatment to help combat symptoms of schizophrenia. This paper has three important contributions. First, by defining and expanding on schizophrenia from a biological perspective, I can identify the nature related predispositions. After expanding from a biological approach, secondly, I will analyze schizophrenia from a psychological aspect by determining if there is any environment or nurturing externals that can result to schizophrenia. Lastly, I will provide treatment details and also reveal early signs to schizophrenia. This paper is important because schizophrenia is an epic mental disease and it is crucially important to bring awareness to the public of how we can limit the illness. It is unclear whether schizophrenia have only a biological background or psychological background, but what was discovered is that both contribute to schizophrenia. Positive and negative treatment can be combatted undergoing pharmaceutical and psychotherapy,
The article was written by Frederick J. Frese III, Edward L. Knight and Elyn Saks; all trained professionals specialising in schizophrenia. This article focuses on schizophrenia and the history and evolution of treatments that have been used. It looks to shed
This perspective is possibly the oldest in regards to the investigation of schizophrenia, beginning with the original term for schizophrenia, dementia praecox, which described what most believed to be a chronic condition of weakening one?s mind (Jablensky, 2010).
schizophrenia first appeared in 1860 as a disease entity under the name: premature dementia. As schizophrenia has been functioning since 1910. The name is derived from the Greek words skhizein, meaning "to split", and phrēn, meaning "mind". (V. Taylor, 2011)
Schizophrenia is a life-long disorder that affects about one percent of the population (Mueser & McGurk, 2004). The cause of this mental illness is still unclear. Studies have suggested that Schizophrenia does not arise from one factor but from a combination of genetic, environmental, and social factors (Liddle, 1987). People diagnosed with Schizophrenia struggle to deal with a multitude of symptoms that make it difficult to function (Mueser & McGurk, 2004). Antipsychotic medications are a popular treatment of the symptoms of Schizophrenia (Mueser & McGurk, 2004). Research is constantly being done to develop these medications to enhance the quality of life of those diagnosed with Schizophrenia.
(Szasz,1982, p.4, p.29) In 1900, the term schizophrenia, now used worldwide, was used to describe the condition that one out of every hundred people had. This statistic remains the same today. Through research and years of study, the world has a better understanding of schizophrenia, its forms, characteristics, symptoms, types, possible causes, and treatments, if any. ( Pierce, 1990. p.263 )
The historical aspect of schizophrenia is that back then, like much psychological disorder, it was seen as a demon possessing people’s minds rather than a disorder. Many believed that schizophrenics were possessed by demons causing them to act irrationally. Later in the mid-1800s, it was first described as “dementia praecox” meaning "premature dementia" or "precocious madness" (Muzyk, 2014). This assumption that all schizophrenics are just full of madness has stuck till this day. Thanks to the Diagnostics and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, psychiatrists’ primary guidebook, a psychiatrist can follow proper steps into diagnosing patients with schizophrenia. Under the IDEA 04 individuals with schizophrenia are specifically
Schizophrenia is severe mental disorder that causes a distortion of reality that is commonly known to have abnormalities of brain the brain structure coupled with unpredictable and strange emotions, behavior, and thinking. It accounts for the largest percentage of people hospitalized with a mental disorder. (#1) There are five main types of schizophrenia that have been observed. The first is the undifferentiated type which a patient lacks emotional depth and external interests and relationships begin to deteriorate, they begin to show stereotypical or simple behavior. Second is the disorganized form where someone may lose ability to perform everyday tasks, display peculiar behavior, and give inappropriate responses. Next is the paranoid type typically showing up later in life and consists mainly of hallucinations, illogical thought process and delusions. The catatonic form of schizophrenia is characterized by bizarre motor movements. The patient can become immobilized for periods of time for no apparent reason or he/she can have purposeless, excessive movements. Lastly is the residual type typically less severe because psychotic symptoms have vanished or become very limited. (#3) Now keep in mind every person with schizophrenia has different symptoms and they are constantly changing so classification varies person to person.
Even with the advancements in science and the new technologies available, the causes of schizophrenia are still unknown. In 1911 a Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler, developed the term schizophrenia. “This word comes from the Greek roots schizo (split) and phrene (mind) to describe the fragmented thinking of people with the disorder” (Johns Hopkins Medicine). By developing the term schizophrenia, it allowed others to better understanding the disorder and move away from linking it to the common misunderstanding of having multiple or split personalities. Although this does not give us an understanding of the causes of the disorder, it does help to clarify and assist with classifying people with the symptoms associated with the
Schizophrenia was first discovered as mental illness by Dr. Emile Kraepelin in 1887, and it is even believed that it actually showed up earlier in history and has pretty much a part of mankind since day one. Although Kraepelin discovered schizophrenia, Eugen Bleuler was the one who “coined” the term. The original meaning of the word schizophrenia means “split mind”, but since the 1800s the definition of this mental illness has definitely gotten stronger with new research and findings. There is a total of five types of schizophrenia, such as; disorganized, catatonic, paranoid, residual, and undifferentiated. The first three types were originally founded by Kraepelin. Both Bleuler and Kraepelin divided these types of schizophrenia into many different
Examination has connected schizophrenia to a huge number of conceivable reasons, including parts of mind, chemical imbalance and structure, and in addition ecological reasons. Schizophrenia treatment experts must discount numerous components, for example, tumors and other restorative conditions (and other psychiatric findings, for example, bipolar issue). In the meantime, they must distinguish various types of side effects that show in particular routes over specific
Schizophrenia, unlike most disorders, is a standout amongst the most genuine of the mental disorders. It is known that one in a hundred individuals are affected by it, and starts in either youth or early adulthood. Schizophrenia brings social interruption, anguish and hardship to the individuals who experience the ill effects of it, as well as to their family. Under those circumstances, it is known to be the most devastating of all disorders. There are both negative and positive symptoms when it comes to dealing with schizophrenia. Despite the fact that there are various negative indications, the most present one is limitations or absence in thoughts and behaviours that are characteristics in normal functioning. For this