In this day in age there have been many incredible advances in technology and methodologies in uncovering the pathophysiology and etiology of a span of mental disorders. One class of disorders however, the class involving psychosis, is still shrouded in mystery due to its highly subjective nature in its symptomology and self-reportings as well as the lack of understanding of its neural mechanisms. One in particular and perhaps the most known psychotic disorder is that of schizophrenia.
Despite our knowledge on this disorder, it is still somewhat enigmatic in that the majority of what is known about it is mostly theory and not much has been declared definitive as to what causes schizophrenia. There are still many possibilities of what may be …show more content…
Although schizophrenia is not necessarily a novel ailment, it did not come into light as a diagnosis of its own until the 19th century. It was not until 1887 that German physician Dr. Emil Kraepelin coined the term “dementia praecox” or “early dementia”. Though Kraepelin was not the first to notice this disorder, he was the first to differentiate it from other types of psychosis. Kraepelin believed that the underlying causes of the disorder lied in the neuropathology, physiology, and biological chemistry of the brain (Jablensky, 2010). In 1911, Swiss psychiatrist, Eugen Bleuler, designated this disorder as “schizophrenia” from Greek roots which roughly translated to “split mind.” This unfortunately caused a widespread misconception of this disorder being linked to erratic and dangerous behavior and a “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” impression. The efforts and observations of both Kraepelin and Bleuler led to the categorization of five types of schizophrenia that made it to the DSM-III: disorganized, catatonic, paranoid, residual, and undifferentiated. (The Internet Mental Health Initiative, 2010). Around this time, this disorder has also been found to be comorbid with other disorders, particularly mania, anxiety and depression (Jablensky,