History of Schizophrenia

The answer of this question relies on the fact that the past has value to our society. The past means experience and lessons to be learned from the battle with schizophrenia. The assessment of this history will help us to explore the progress of the methods that helps to manage schizophrenia. Current studies on schizophrenia would fail without the knowledge of the past. Thus carefully analyzing the history of schizophrenia is a must for future progress. Millions of people throughout the history had to cope with schizophrenia.

Although the term schizophrenia is less than 100 years old, the illness has been recognized in one form or another throughout recorded history. Individuals who displayed behaviors characteristic of what we now call schizophrenia are described in documents written in Egypt as far back as the second millennium before Christ. The symptoms of schizophrenia have been described and interpreted in many different ways throughout history, depending on the time and culture. For some, these symptoms were thought to be a sign of genius; for others, they were believed to be a manifestation of evil.

Only in the past 150 years has schizophrenia become the subject of serious, objective medical inquiry. Three medical pioneers (Emil Kraepelin, Eugen Bleuler, and Kurt Schneider) were particularly influential in this regard.  Keep in mind, however, that although their theories were influential at the time, many of their views are not held today.

Emil Kraepelin (1856 to 1926)

A German psychiatrist, Emil Kraepelin was one of the first physicians to recognize schizophrenia as a specific and serious mental illness.  He made the important distinction between schizophrenia and manic-depressive (bipolar) psychosis, which can have similar symptoms but are different illnesses.  Kraepelin called schizophrenia dementia precox (“prematurely out of one’s mind”), to describe its deteriorating course and symptoms of hallucinations and delusions.

Eugen Bleuler (1857 to 1939)

Eugen Bleuler, a psychologist, introduced the term schizophrenia in 1908, which is derived from “split” (schizo) and “mind” (phreno).  Bleuler also identified four key symptoms of schizophrenia:  associational disturbances (e.g., loose associations), autism (e.g., a preoccupation with thoughts, fantasies, and delusions), affect (mood) disturbances, and ambivalence. 

Kurt Schneider (1934 to –)

European psychiatrist Kurt Schneider developed a set of first-rank symptoms (FRS), which refer to specific types of delusions and hallucinations seen in schizophrenia.  FRS symptoms are linked by the theme that patients perceive themselves as losing control of their thoughts, feelings, and bodies.  They include thought insertion, thought broadcasting, and thought control.