By Jared Wright
Schizophrenia is a type of mental disorder in which a person
suffers from distorted perception of real life and very often losing
touch with reality. Originating from the Geek word: schizo (split) and
phrene (mind), it is a mental disorder with a long history.
Schizophrenia in 2000B.C.
The history of Schizophrenia dated back to around 2000 B.C., when little was known about mental disorders. It was believed that the person who is suffering from mental disturbances has been invaded by an evil spirit and the only way to cure the disorder is by driving out the evil spirit. In those times, there were many types of exorcism method. One was to made patients listen to music in order to drive the evil spirit out, another brutal one see patients skull being drill to provide a way for the spirits to get out.
Schizophrenia as understood by the Egyptians
A mention of mental disorders and their symptoms is there in The Book of Heart, an Egyptian book. The Egyptians believed that the heart and brain are interlinked. Therefore, according to their belief, a person who is suffering from certain mental disorder must be suffering from certain heart problems as well. All the people suffering from Schizophrenia were considered mad and dangerous, in spite of the display of their normal human characteristics at all other times. The only refuges for them were the mental homes. Such misunderstanding stayed for a very long time before researchers came up with a scientific explanation to dispel the misconception.
Evolution in the understanding of Schizophrenia
Initial efforts to understand and record atypical mental behaviors were made in the seventeenth century. Later in 1887, Emile Kraepelin, a German psychiatrist, started to record and put into place the different types of mental disorders and defined them by one term: dementia praecox. It was not until the nineteenth century before people begin to gain more awareness about diseases and their causes. It was not until the turn of the century before we saw many new medical science breakthrough findings. Schizophrenia, as a mental illness was coined by a Swiss psychiatrist named Eugen Bleuler in 1908. The definition and symptoms of Schizophrenia that we are using today was put up by another German psychiatrist,Kurt Schneider, in 1957.
Regardless of the progression in medical science, there were few people who were unable to accept the logic and explanation of science and for their benefit continued to commit cruelty towards human race, one such example is the case of World War II. During the World War II Schizophrenia was identified to be a genetic disorder and in order to prevent transmission of the condition from one generation to another and practice selective procreation, mentally disturbed people were killed.
Despite of such pathetic examples in the history of Schizophrenia, psychiatrists, doctors and scientists have never given up hope and have worked day and night for advancement in the understanding of Schizophrenia. Many misconceptions about Schizophrenia have become clear. Today, instead of brutally treating the patients, considering the patients mad and sending them to asylum, society is becoming able to accept the fact that such patients need understanding and sympathy. To help treat and relieve their mental disorder, you need to spend time, show care and affection with proper medication.
Schizophrenia is a terrible mental disorder that affects 1
percent of the US population. You can learn more about this condition,
including schizophrenia test and schizophrenia definition on Clivir - the free learning community.
Schizophrenia in 2000B.C.
The history of Schizophrenia dated back to around 2000 B.C., when little was known about mental disorders. It was believed that the person who is suffering from mental disturbances has been invaded by an evil spirit and the only way to cure the disorder is by driving out the evil spirit. In those times, there were many types of exorcism method. One was to made patients listen to music in order to drive the evil spirit out, another brutal one see patients skull being drill to provide a way for the spirits to get out.
Schizophrenia as understood by the Egyptians
A mention of mental disorders and their symptoms is there in The Book of Heart, an Egyptian book. The Egyptians believed that the heart and brain are interlinked. Therefore, according to their belief, a person who is suffering from certain mental disorder must be suffering from certain heart problems as well. All the people suffering from Schizophrenia were considered mad and dangerous, in spite of the display of their normal human characteristics at all other times. The only refuges for them were the mental homes. Such misunderstanding stayed for a very long time before researchers came up with a scientific explanation to dispel the misconception.
Evolution in the understanding of Schizophrenia
Initial efforts to understand and record atypical mental behaviors were made in the seventeenth century. Later in 1887, Emile Kraepelin, a German psychiatrist, started to record and put into place the different types of mental disorders and defined them by one term: dementia praecox. It was not until the nineteenth century before people begin to gain more awareness about diseases and their causes. It was not until the turn of the century before we saw many new medical science breakthrough findings. Schizophrenia, as a mental illness was coined by a Swiss psychiatrist named Eugen Bleuler in 1908. The definition and symptoms of Schizophrenia that we are using today was put up by another German psychiatrist,Kurt Schneider, in 1957.
Regardless of the progression in medical science, there were few people who were unable to accept the logic and explanation of science and for their benefit continued to commit cruelty towards human race, one such example is the case of World War II. During the World War II Schizophrenia was identified to be a genetic disorder and in order to prevent transmission of the condition from one generation to another and practice selective procreation, mentally disturbed people were killed.
Despite of such pathetic examples in the history of Schizophrenia, psychiatrists, doctors and scientists have never given up hope and have worked day and night for advancement in the understanding of Schizophrenia. Many misconceptions about Schizophrenia have become clear. Today, instead of brutally treating the patients, considering the patients mad and sending them to asylum, society is becoming able to accept the fact that such patients need understanding and sympathy. To help treat and relieve their mental disorder, you need to spend time, show care and affection with proper medication.
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