SCHIZOPHRENIA

Insanity has afflicted humanity throughout history1. At the turn of this century, identification of the syphilitic insanities set the stage for Kraepelin to recognize the distinctive symptom patterns of the manic-depressive psychoses and dementia praecox2. In 1911, Bleuler noted that the early onset of dementia was not characteristic of Kraepelin's dementia praecox, and he coined the term “schizophrenia” to refer to the dissociation or disruption of thought processes and the split among thought, emotion, and behavior3. With recent diagnostic refinements, psychosis (that is, a break with reality usually manifested as hallucinations, delusions, or a disruption in thought. © 1994, Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.