History In western countries during the middle ages, there was no specific identification of schizophrenia, as mental illness was simply regarded as a punishment or trial of God. Thousands believed mental illness was due to demons or demonic possession, as well as other forms of the supernatural. Thus, those showing symptoms of any mental illness were treated cruelly and inhumanely, often times with exorcisms, system shock, or other forms of torture. Initial signs of the disease we now label “schizophrenia” were first identified in the mid 1800s in Europe. Symptoms of early schizophrenia included uncontrollable and irrational behavior, and was much more prevalent among youths than adults. Heinrich Schüle, a German asylum physician, defined …show more content…
In 1899, German psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin, who is considered one of the greatest contributors to the field of schizophrenia research, distinguished between mood disorders and dementia praecox, thus defining the term dementia praecox as a psychotic deteriorating disorder. In the early 1900s, Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler brought the term “schizophrenia” to public attention, meaning “splitting of the mind.” Dementia praecox was defined as form of dementia, which is a chronic disorder, however, Bleuler explained that the illness was not chronic, and thus, must be redefined. The word schizophrenia was therefore used to define the separation of different functions in the brain that occurs as symptoms of the disease. In the mid 1900s, convulsive therapy was introduced, in which the patient would be introduced to electrically induced seizures, however, this resulted in permanent deficits and was cruel and ineffective. In the beginning of the 20th century, German psychiatrist Kurt Schneider defined exact symptoms of schizophrenia, and these symptoms were eventually titled “Schneider's first-rank symptoms.” Schneider’s first-rank symptoms include auditory hallucinations, thought broadcasting, insertion, and withdrawal, and passivity experience (in which individuals believe they are under the control of another individual or …show more content…
However, according to John H. Gilmore, M.D., the contribution of specific genes is small, and many people with the disease do not have relatives affected. The majority of cases of schizophrenia are due to an interaction between many genes and environmental risk factors. For example, a study at the University of Oulu, Finland, concluded that in a healthy family, only 6% of children developed schizophrenia. In a labeled “dysfunctional” family, 37% of the children developed the disease. Additionally, adopted children with a genetic risk of schizophrenia due to relatives having the disease had an 86% less chance of developing the disease when raised in a supportive, healthy environment. The chance of a person developing schizophrenia with just associated genes is very small; environmental factors play a huge role in the diagnosis of the disease. However, in a study by Joseph Goldberg, MD, there were some noteworthy differences in the brain images between those with and without the disorder. The ventricles, or hollow portions of the brain were smaller, and the parts of the brain that deal with memory, called the medial temporal lobes, were also smaller. There were also less connections between particular brain