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HISTORIC OVERVIEW OF SCHIZOPHRENIA AND ITS TREATMENT ABSTRACT This paper provides an overview of the history of schizophrenia and its treatment. The paper begins by first providing some basic facts about the condition such as its nature, its probable causes, and its symptoms. This brief description is followed by a historical overview which discusses how schizophrenia came to be identified as a unique illness. The views of psychiatrists pivotal to making this identification are described. The paper then goes on to discuss how these views affected what was considered to be effective treatment for schizophrenia (e.g., sedation) and delineates how the notion of what should constitute effective treatment changed over the years. The paper also explores various medications that were used to treat the condition. Introduction Butcher, Mineka and Hooley (2003) define schizophrenia as a brain disorder in which there is a failure of the brain's chemical or electrical systems to function properly, resulting in a variety of unusual neural twists, such as disjointed ideas, confused or disconnected thoughts, and sounds or other sensations experienced as real when they exist only in the person's mind. The prevalence of the disorder is estimated to be about one percent of the population in most countries including the United States. Butcher, Mineka and Hooley also note that there are no sex-related difference for the prevalence of schizophrenia among men and women with the exception of a slight difference in the average age of onset with men showing symptoms a few years earlier than women. According to Foster (2003), it is currently believed that schizophrenia is caused by multiple factors but scientists are still unsure of the exact cause. Some of the factors believed to be involved in the development of schizophrenia but which are still being researched are: an imbalance of the brain's neurotransmitters (naturally existing chemicals that assist in cellular communication); genetics (schizophrenia is more likely to occur in families with a history of the disorder); (an abnormality in brain structure (the structure of schizophrenic brains are different from those of non-schizophrenics); and developmental factors such as a viral infection that occurs in the womb. &nb... ... middle of paper ... ...ore work must be done in this area. More work on both the neurobiology of the disease and on the psycho emotional factors that are involved in being able to successfully cope with the condition. References Andreasen, N. C. (1997). The evolving concept of schizophrenia: From Kraepelin to the present and future. Schizophrenic Research, 28(2-3), 105-109. Butcher, J., Mineka, S., & Hooley, J. M. (2003). Abnormal psychology. (12th ed.) Boston: Pearson Allyn & Bacon. Comer, R. J. (2000). Abnormal psychology. (4th ed.) New York: W. H. Freeman & Company. Foster, M. (2003). Schizophrenia revealed. New York: Norton. Gelman, S. (1999). Medicating schizophrenia. Pscataway, NJ: Rutgers University Press. Healy, D. (1997). Psychiatric drugs explained. (2nd ed.) St. Louis: Mosby Publishers. Lehmann HE, Ban TA. (1997). The history of the psychopharmacology of schizophrenia. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 42, 152–62. Lewis, S. W. & Buchanan, R.W. (1998). Schizophrenia: Fast Facts. UK: Health Press. Porter, R. (1991). The faber book of madness. London: Faber and Faber Tallis, F . (1998). Changing minds: The history of psychotherapy as an answer to human suffering. London: Cassell