Schizophrenia was not widely known before the 19th century. Until this time, there had not been many reports of schizophrenia-like syndromes, while “reports of irrational, incomprehensible, or uncontrolled behavior were common” (“Schizophrenia,” n.d.). Schizophrenia is a difficult disease to understand and it has taken doctors and psychiatrists a long time to classify it and understand what it presents. “The history of schizophrenia is complex and does not lend itself easily to a linear narrative” (“Schizophrenia,” n.d.). Experts initially believed that schizophrenia, then called dementia praecox (a Latinized term), was a form of "premature dementia" or "early insanity." The Greek meaning of the word schizophrenia, "splitting of the mind," was coined by Eugen Bleuler in 1908. He intended to describe the separation of functions between personality, thinking, memory and perception. Bleuler realized that the disease was not a dementia, as some of his patients improved rather than worsened, and therefore proposed the term schizophrenia instead was revolutionized in the mid-1950s with the development and introduction of chlorpromazine (“Schizophrenia,” n.d.), is defined as a “severe psychological disorder characterized by highly disordered thought processes, defined as psychotic because it is they are so far from reality” (King, 2011, p. 507). For those who have not experienced schizophrenia it might seem disturbing, but for those living with the disorder it seems unimaginable. “The experience of schizophrenia is often an experience of extraordinary terror (King, 2011, p. 507). The broad category of schizophrenia encompasses a range of disorders in which individuals experience a distorted perception of reality and impaired thinking , behavior, affect, and motivation” (Whitbourne & Halgin, 2013, p. 199). “The symptoms of schizophrenia are divided into two groups, positive and negative. Psychological disturbances "added" to the patient's behavior due to the disease are known as positive symptoms. The psychological abilities that the schizophrenic person has “lost” due to his or her illness are known as negative symptoms” (“Symptoms of Schizophrenia,” 2010). When a patient is diagnosed with schizophrenia, he or she is placed into one of five subtypes based on to symptoms are the most prominent (Whitbourne & Halgin, 2013, p. 221). The five subtypes are catatonic, disorganized, paranoid, undifferentiated, and residual. Of these five subtypes, disorganized schizophrenia is said to be considered a more severe type of schizophrenia, because it can leave people unable to carry out routine daily activities, and the frustration and agitation can make them angry..
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