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Written by Medical Review Board
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Schizophrenia is a chronic disease. The symptoms of schizophrenia effect many of your thoughts, feelings and behaviors. The severity of these symptoms can fluctuate, and even someone who is quite ill can sometimes feel and appear normal, even without medication. This remission of symptoms does not mean the illness has gone away.
Modern antipsychotic medications greatly reduce both the severity of your symptoms and the amount of time you spend experiencing active symptoms. Nevertheless, you should plan for times of remission and times of relapse. Even in remission, your residual symptoms (the symptoms you continue to have even when you’re relatively well) will effect all aspects of your life.
Your illness probably means that you’ll need more support than most people. It’s important for you, with the help of your doctor, social workers and loved ones, to figure out what kinds of supports you need, and then put those supports in place. Depending on the severity of your illness, you may have trouble with important skills, like:
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Written by Medical Review Board
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Whether you’re experiencing thought or behavior symptoms, or you notice changes that worry you in a loved one, or are simply curious about the illness, basic knowledge about schizophrenia will help you get rid of common misconceptions about the illness. This site can help you learn more, and make an informed plan to move forward.
Schizophrenia is a Disease of the Brain
Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe brain disorder that affects approximately 1% of both men and women worldwide, as it has throughout recorded history. In men, the first symptoms of schizophrenia usually begin in adolescence or the early 20’s. Women generally experience a later onset, in their 20’s or 30’s. Schizophrenia is an episodic illness, which means that the intensity of symptoms will vary over time.
The brain is made up of millions of long cells called neurons, which are organized into brain regions. The neurons in some brain regions receive and process sensory information (sight, taste, etc). Other brain regions process emotions like fear. Still other brain regions are responsible for organizing and coordinating information from all the different parts of the brain.
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Written by Medical Review Board
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Emile Kraepelin (1856 – 1926), one of the founders of modern psychiatry, described “dementia praecox” as a distinct illness, with subtypes of hebephrenia, catatonia, and paranoid dementia. Prior to Kraepelin, all mental illnesses were categorized as “madness.”
Eugen Bleuler (1857 – 1939), a Swiss psychiatrist, coined the term "schizophrenia," and described the symptoms of schizophrenia as "positive" or "negative."
Henri Laborit (1914 – 1995), a Parisian surgeon, discovered in 1952 that chlorpromazine (trade name Thorazine) was effective in reducing the symptoms of schizophrenia.
Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) was developed in the 1970s, in response to large numbers of patients being discharged from state psychiatric hospitals into communities with few or no services or systems to provide for the mentally ill. ACT model based systems have become a gold standard for service delivery to people with severe mental illness.
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