Schizophrenia: Debunking The Myths [Part 1]

Schizophrenia is a mental condition that has been highly misunderstood for decades. In this eye-opening two-part article, HealthTodays consultant psychiatrist brings clarity and gives us a detailed look at the symptoms.

- Dr Gurdeep Grewal

Here is some shocking news: one in 100 people will develop schizophrenia. Yes, you read that right. That means worldwide, there are 76 million people living with schizophrenia. Despite such high numbers, this is a disease that is very misunderstood, even within the medical fraternity. So here is my take on breaking it down, dispelling myths and helping to dilute the stigma related to this terrible illness.

Let’s start with a short history lesson. In 1887, Dr Emil Kraepelin formally distinguished this illness from other forms of psychosis (we will revisit this term later) and named it “dementia praecox”. Of course, the illness has been with mankind since the beginning, often attributed to spirits, demonic possession, sorcery and such. Then in 1910, Dr Eugen Bleuler, a Swiss psychiatrist, used the term schizophrenia to describe the illness. The name has Greek origins (schizo = split, phren = mind) and it’s very unfortunate that it paints a very distorted picture of the illness, which is NOT synonymous with a split personality.

Schizophrenia is a serious and chronic mental illness, and is classified as a psychotic illness. Psychosis is a highly abnormal mental state that is characterized by hallucinations (having perceptions such as voices and images in the absence of a stimulus), delusions (having false beliefs despite given evidence against it) and a break from reality. People who are psychotic may also have muddled thought processes, which will manifest as abnormal speech and behaviours. Psychosis can be found in a variety of medical conditions, for example in those with head injury, seizure disorders and in delirious states. Those who are intoxicated with drugs such as methamphetamines, cannabis and the like may also experience psychosis.

A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE SYMPTOMS