Schizophrenia 1: Introduction and definition

Mental illnesses and disorders have been representing a sort of fogginess for both the persons with mental illnesses´-or-disorders and people, whether relatives, friends´-or-therapists, who are closely dealing with the person with mental disorders. Schizophrenia, as one of mental illnesses and disorders recently termed and defined, was, and to some extent is still vague and perplexing. The term´-or-definition “schizophrenia” was not used´-or-known about one hundred years ago and when it has come into use, it has been misused´-or-used to give multiple meanings in everyday language, the popular media, and the medical community--;-- (Mueser & Gingerich, 2005). Because schizophrenia has common aspects with other mental illnesses and disorders, and as it varies in intensity from one person to another, its symptoms “are so varied and numerous” that it is difficult and time-consuming to diagnose it´-or-have prognoses for it--;-- (Pratt, Gill, Barrett & Roberts, 2007). However, thanks to the great efforts of researchers, psychologists, psychiatrists and therapists, schizophrenia is no longer an insurmountable problem´-or-horrifying abyss because we can know a lot about it. In this paper light will be shed on the definition of schizophrenia, its causes, ways of diagnosing it through a variety of symptoms, and how the symptoms are reflected on a person’s behavior. With the aim of treatment in consideration, rehabilitation and recovery of persons with schizophrenia are highlighted in an educated family environment.

To understand schizophrenia as a psychiatric disability, it must be defined as precisely as possible so as not to confuse it with other mental illnesses that may have similar, if not the same, symptoms´-or-indications. Thus, it can have varied definition, each accords with the angle´-or-the field at which it relates to the illness. Schizophrenia is simply defined as a “mental illness”--;-- (Burke, Gates & Hammond 1995)´-or-mental multi-illnesses “of unknown causes” (Null, 1995). As an illness, schizophrenia is in fact “complex and confusing” for all those who have to deal with it in a way´-or-another--;-- (Mueser & Gingerich, 2005). To make it simpler it can be said that schizophrenia is a mental complex confusing illness that can have varied aspects most of which are featured with/by “disorders of perception and emotion”--;-- (Null, 1995) and characterized by social --function--ing problems, self-care skills difficulties and inability to discern reality from unreality´-or-fantasy--;-- (Mueser & Gingerich, 2005).

The term "schizophrenia" was first formed and used by Swiss Psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler (1857-1939) in 1908 to define what he thought as the essential characteristic of the illness, which distinguishes it from dissociative identity disorder, which is multiple-personality disorder, compiling it from Greek as (schizo) to mean (a split) and (phren) to mean (in the mind), so the term means “a split in the mind between perception and reality”--;-- (Mueser & Gingerich, 2005). Again, the term schizophrenia literally means “a splitting of the mind” to indicate that “schizophrenic language, thoughts, and feelings are often disconnected´-or-split from each other”--;-- (Burke, Gates & Hammond 1995). Finally, as a group of illnesses and according to Dr. Garry Vickar, schizophrenias are categorized as paranoid´-or-non-paranoid according to differences in prognosis, and/or chronic´-or-acute as partially related the brain shape, the age at onset, and complicating factors relating to concurrent conditions as drug abuse--;-- (Null, 1995).

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