Today is World Schizophrenia Day, a very serious chronic psychiatric disease that can affect the way a person thinks, feels, and behaves as a result of a reduced understanding of what is or is not real.
The term schizophrenia (“split mind”) was coined in 1910 by the Swiss psychiatrist Bleuler. Every year we commemorate May 24, 1792 when Dr. Phillipe Pinel freed psychiatric patients chained for 30-40 years from the Bicetre hospital outside Paris.
It is estimated that there are 24 million schizophrenics living in the world.
The onset of the disease often occurs during adolescence or young adulthood, without particular gender distinctions. Genetic, environmental, and psychosocial factors that interact with each other could determine its onset.
Patients present an altered perception of reality, persistent delusions and hallucinations, behaviors that significantly modify daily life. As with other mental disorders, patients with schizophrenia have a double or triple risk of premature death.
Therapies are symptomatic and rehabilitative.
The objective of the world day is to fight the stigma associated with the disease and highlight the importance of early diagnosis, effective therapy and direct involvement of patients in the treatment process.