Supposedly the original term was coined to mean “split mind”. It often confuses the general public between multiple personality and schizophrenia.
Do you think the term, “schizophrenia”, is still applicable today? For Japanese community, the term had since renamed to “integration disorder” for less stigma, according to news sources.
It is still “schizophrenia” in Malay, just rewritten as “skizofrenia”.
1 Like
Personally I think it should be changed, the name does not fit the illness at all.
Its like calling a shirt by the name of pants. You can call them pants all you want but they won’t make a good shirt.
1 Like
I think that 'schizophrenia" just like ‘schizoaffective’ are nonsensical names - old fashioned and outdated, with no real practical meaning to them
1 Like
Schizophrenia is a catch all word that doesn’t even apply its real meaning to people diagnosed with it (split mind). there are so many aspects of SZ that in some cases we could call a person gifted or visionary, others could be called traumatized, others in various stages of mania or psychosis. It all depends on what symptoms are manifest in an individual.
2 Likes
I think we’re stuck with it as the name of the illness or illnesses though. Even if they changed it I think the average person would just role their eyes and say “Oh is that what we’re calling it now?” But it does lead to a lot of confusion, people thinking it means literally split mind and all. There was a psychologist I saw as a teen, long before my onset, who believed that this is what it meant, having a split mind. I had told him I’d heard a female voice call my name once in a blue moon and asked him whether or not I might be developing schizophrenia and he told me “schizophrenics don’t hear voices, they have a split consciousness” He said rather he thought that my voice was an “auditory memory”.
So yeah even doctors of psychology are not immune to this confusion…not that that surprises me that they are not immune to confusion of course 
2 Likes
Someone on this site came up with Thought Disorder awhile back. I like it. Yes, the name should be changed.
1 Like
I think they should keep it schizophrenia until they get it all sorted out. I’m not needing people to be politically correct for my sake. It’s kind of condescending.
I also like the schiz, in my case because I’m separated from myself and the world.
I like it spelled with the K and the Z. It sounds like a mad doctor talking.
1 Like
And of course the term “split mind” refers to a mind split from reality.
2 Likes
Sounds like you are quite right about it.
Despite the origin of the term from the Greek roots skhizein (“to split”) and phrēn (“mind”), schizophrenia does not imply a “split personality”, or “multiple personality disorder”—a condition with which it is often confused in public perception.[1] Rather, the term means a “splitting of mental functions”, reflecting the presentation of the illness.[2]
1 Like
I never really thought about it. I guess it does contain a stigma. How about calling sz’s “reality challenged”?
Good idea, but the term you have proposed does not sound like a proper noun…??