schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a mental health condition that often goes undetected or many times misdiagnosed with other mental health issues. It is one of the most disabling and emotionally devastating illnesses around. Because of its recent discovery in 2009, much is not known about this illness. Like many other diseases, schizophrenia is hereditary. It is more common than not; nearly one percent to one and a half percent of the U.S. population has been diagnosed with this disease during some point in their life (Weill College of Medicine at Cornell University). The most devastating part is that there is no cure for this disease, the good news is that there is treatable medicine that is now available. Schizophrenia is not a multiple personality disorder like many believe. Contrary to common belief people who take medicine for schizophrenia are able to live normal fulfilling lives.
The word "schizophrenia" is less than 100 years old. However, the disease was first identified as a discrete mental illness by Dr. Emile Kraepelin, in 1887 and the illness itself is generally believed to have accompanied mankind throughout history. A recent study into the ancient Greek and Roman literature (Karolinska Institute, Department of Clinical Neuroscience) showed that although the general population probably had an awareness of psychotic disorders, there was no condition that would meet the modern diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia in these societies. At one point, all people who were considered "abnormal," whether due to mental illness, mental retardation, or physical deformities, were largely treated the same. Early theories supposed that mental disorders were caused by evil possession of the body, and the appropriate treatment was then exorcising these demons, through various means, ranging from innocuous treatments, such as exposing the patient to certain types of music, to dangerous and sometimes deadly means, such as releasing the evil spirits by drilling holes in the patient's