Paranoid Schizophrenia: the Case of Daniel Paul Schreber
Paranoid Schizophrenia: The Case of Daniel Paul Schreber
PSY/410
Paranoid Schizophrenia: The Case of Daniel Paul Schreber
Daniel Paul Schreber was the son of a doctor. Dr, Schreber believed in pressuring young children as early as possible “to avoid troubles later (Meyer, Chapman, & Weaver, 2009, p. 97, para. 3).” In one of his books Dr. Schreber also advocated giving children cold baths to “toughen them up (Meyer, Chapman, & Weaver, 2009, p. 97, para. 3),” a technique he used with his own children, including Daniel. “To make sure children never cry, parents must startle children from crying by knocking on the bed or simply punish them through physical beatings, until no emotion is again shown (Meyer, Chapman, & Weaver, 2009, p. 97, para. 3).” Daniel’s father also believed that physical training was necessary so that children could learn to control and restrain their emotions. In the Schreber household, not only was physical punishment common, but the children would lose their meals for not following Dr. Schreber’s schedule. Daniel’s father passed away when Daniel was only 19 years old.
The loss of his father was not the only significant loss for Daniel. He also lost his brother Gustav at age 35 due to suicide. Then, at age 42, Daniel ran for a political office and lost the election. Following the political defeat Daniel suffered his first reported mental breakdown. As a result of this mental break Daniel was hospitalized for six months with hypochondrial delusions of emaciation and he was going to die of a heart attack. Additionally, during his hospital stay Daniel experienced speech impediments, hypersensitivity to noise, high emotionality, and two suicide attempts.
Following his hospital stay, Daniel spent the next 8 years happily married and reaching the pinnacle of his profession appointed to presiding judge of the nation’s highest court. It was at about this time that he dreamed that his mental illness had returned (Meyer, Chapman, &
PSY/410
Paranoid Schizophrenia: The Case of Daniel Paul Schreber
Daniel Paul Schreber was the son of a doctor. Dr, Schreber believed in pressuring young children as early as possible “to avoid troubles later (Meyer, Chapman, & Weaver, 2009, p. 97, para. 3).” In one of his books Dr. Schreber also advocated giving children cold baths to “toughen them up (Meyer, Chapman, & Weaver, 2009, p. 97, para. 3),” a technique he used with his own children, including Daniel. “To make sure children never cry, parents must startle children from crying by knocking on the bed or simply punish them through physical beatings, until no emotion is again shown (Meyer, Chapman, & Weaver, 2009, p. 97, para. 3).” Daniel’s father also believed that physical training was necessary so that children could learn to control and restrain their emotions. In the Schreber household, not only was physical punishment common, but the children would lose their meals for not following Dr. Schreber’s schedule. Daniel’s father passed away when Daniel was only 19 years old.
The loss of his father was not the only significant loss for Daniel. He also lost his brother Gustav at age 35 due to suicide. Then, at age 42, Daniel ran for a political office and lost the election. Following the political defeat Daniel suffered his first reported mental breakdown. As a result of this mental break Daniel was hospitalized for six months with hypochondrial delusions of emaciation and he was going to die of a heart attack. Additionally, during his hospital stay Daniel experienced speech impediments, hypersensitivity to noise, high emotionality, and two suicide attempts.
Following his hospital stay, Daniel spent the next 8 years happily married and reaching the pinnacle of his profession appointed to presiding judge of the nation’s highest court. It was at about this time that he dreamed that his mental illness had returned (Meyer, Chapman, &
References: Meyer, R., Chapman, L. K., & Weaver, C. M. (2009). Case studies in abnormal behavior. (8th ed.). Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon. Sass, L. A. (1990, Spring). On delusions. Raritan, 9(4), 121. Retrieved from https://ehis.ebscohost.com/