When someone mentions schizo, schizophrenic, or schizophrenia too many think
of individual with sporadic outburst or an impromptu outward expression of random
thoughts when in fact it is much, much more than that. According to Webster, "a
psychotic disorder characterized by loss of contact with the environment, by noticeable
deterioration in the level of functioning in everyday life, and by disintegration of
personality expressed as disorder of feeling, thought (as in hallucinations and delusions),
and conduct -- called also dementia praecox," (Webster). Based on the definition of
schizophrenia this is much more serious that the average person would initially fathom.
Schizophrenia is a crippling disorder which ruins lives by rendering people unable to
effectively comprehend and live within reality. "Schizophrenia is a brain disorder whose
victims suffer from violent behavior, hallucinations, delusions, slowed speech and
emotional unresponsiveness," (Younger.45)
The term "schizophrenia" for all of the mental issues listed above in Webster's
definition is actually less than one-hundred years old.
English: Image showing brain areas more active in ...
Schizophrenia (Wayne Shorter album)
Schizophrenia (Sepultura album)Although the term is only about
one-hundred years old the illness itself has believed to follow mankind throughout its
history and was first recognized as a discrete mental illness by Emily Kraepelin in
1887 (History of Schizophrenia). This could only mean that this is a problem that is not
jus recently affecting masses, but has been existent, not just a disorder that sporadically
arose like AIDS in the mid 1900' s. Because this illness has been around so long, yet so
vaguely understood or explored many suffer from one of the most disabling, emotionally
devastating illnesses known to man which continually causes this demographic to be
unjustifiably stigmatized.(Short Intro to Schizophrenia)
"Approximately one percent of the population develops schizophrenia during
their lifetime; more that two million Americans suffer this illness." (Long)
This fact was true in 1995, so of course the...