The medical term [schizophrenia] is formed by the combination of two root terms of Greek origin. The term [-schiz] comes from the Greek word [σχίσις] and means "to tear" or "to separate". In Medicine today its meaning is that of "a cleft", a "split", or "a separation". The second root term [-phren-] has two meanings, "diaphragm", and "mind". The suffix [-ia] means "condition". Thus analyzed, the word [schizophrenia] means "a condition of a split mind".
Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disorder where the patient may hear voices other people do not hear. They may believe other people are reading their minds, controlling their thoughts, or plotting to harm them. Schizophrenic patients may not make sense when they talk. They may sit for hours without moving or talking. Sometimes people with schizophrenia seem perfectly fine until they talk about what they are really thinking
Some of the patients may lose total touch with reality, presenting with hallucination, delusions, or catatonia. Others may present with depression-like symptoms such as monotony, and reclusion. Schizophrenic patients also present with memory problems and inability to carry instructions.
For more information on this condition, please click here to go to the National Institute of Mental Health website on the topic.
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