Schizophrenia Definition - History of Schizophrenia

The use of the word schizophrenia is not more than 100 years old, but the disease was originally identified as a mental illness in 1887 by Dr. Emile Kraepelin.

Documents were discovered and traced back to as far as the Egyptian Pharaohs during the days of Christ. The Book of Hearts describes common schizophrenic symptoms of depression and dementia, as well as disturbances of thought. The heart and the mind were considered to be similar back in the days of ancient Egypt. In those days, illnesses of the body were held to be symptomatic of the heart and uterus and coming from blood vessels, infection, fecal matter, or demon's poison.

People were commonly considered not normal if they had any form of mental disease, retardation, and deformities. During the ancients days in Egypt, the causes of mental disturbances were believed to be due to possession of evil spirits, which were exorcised by special treatments, particular types of music, or drilling holes into the skull.

Dementia Praecox - Early dementia

The term dementia praecox, or early dementia, was first coined by Dr. Emile Kraepelin to describe people with symptoms that we know today as schizophrenia. Dr. Kraepelin was one of the first to separate schizophrenia into different categories.

The general idea of mental instability has existed for thousands of years. It was Dr. Kraepelin who distinguished the psychotic disorders by what he termed dementia praecox and manic depression. He believed that dementia praecox was a form of dementia. Kraepelin named the disorder dementia praecox to differentiate between other forms of dementia, such as Alzheimer's, which most often occurs in the later years of life. Kraepelin's studies dealt with dementia in young adults.

Eugen Bleuler, a Swiss psychiatrist, used the term schizophrenia in the year 1911. He is also credited with being the first to describe the symptoms as positive and negative. Bleuler later changed the name from dementia praecox to schizophrenia because the illness was not a dementia, since it is a disease that can occur anytime in life.

Schizophrenia - Rooted in the Greek language

The word schizophrenia has roots in the Greek language. The word schizo (split) and the word phrene (mind) denotes the disordered thought. It does not mean split personality, as is commonly thought. The definition of the word schizophrenia is constantly morphing to better describe the various forms of mental disease. Currently, classifications are based on the knowledge that symptoms often present at the same time.

Although schizophrenia was divided into categories by Bleuler and Kraepelin, others in this field continue to classify the different types of schizophrenia. The five types now include disorganized, catatonic, paranoid, residual, and undifferentiated. Kraepelin is credited with proposing the first three categories.

Classifying schizophrenia does nothing to help determine the prognosis of the often misdiagnosed disease. It is believed that one day differentiating between between the types will aid in uncovering the different causes of this brain disorder.

by Barb Hicks, RN