Schizophrenia: A Psychological Mystery
Emily Newgent
Wiregrass Georgia Technical College

Schizophrenia: A Psychological Mystery Schizophrenia is a common mental illness, with a wide degree of varying symptoms from patient to patient, such as hallucinations and delusions, which has been recognized throughout history and recorded in all cultures. In 1911, Eugen Bleuler (1857-1939), a Swiss physician, coined the term “schizophrenia,” due to the fact that he thought the cognitive impairment associated with the illness came from the splitting of psychic function. Schizophrenia affects about one out of a hundred people in the world. About a third of the people who are diagnosed with this disorder are most likely to be hospitalized (Nevid, 2009). Although a relatively small percentage of the population in the United States is affected by schizophrenia, it is serious and incapacitating enough that 50% of those diagnosed will become permanently and severely disabled, making them dependent on public assistance (Sarason, I., & Sarason, B., 2005). Schizophrenia sufferers are 10% of the totally and permanently disabled population in the United States and make up a large percentage of the homeless populations in many large urban centers (Sarason & Sarason, 2005). It can be brought on by many factors, but is not linked to any one cause in determining the onset of this illness. Medications and therapy treatments help sufferers live a life as normally as possible among society by reducing the symptoms of the disorder (AllPsychOnline, 2011).
Etiology
Schizophrenia is not like most mental disorders. There is no definitive way to determine exactly why some people will suffer from it. Bleuler was one of the first people to emphasize the psychological aspects of the disorder by pointing out that while the underlying cause might be unknown, many of the symptoms had