Schizophrenia, Evolution Of Treatment Through History

Schizophrenia, evolution of treatment through history

For centuries mental illnesses have been a complete enigma for the human being, causing a feeling of rejection of the sick. Specifically, in the case of schizophrenia, delusions, hallucinations and general mental disorder caused fear among the population. The consequence of this was a repression against schizophrenics: they were considered people demonized by shamans, tortured and killed in the Inquisition during the Middle Ages and sections of the social sphere in general. With the arrival of the Renaissance, they began to treat as patients.

Subsequently, Emil Kraepelin classified the disease within a group of psychiatric pathologies (early dementia). According to the psychiatrist, there were three types of early dementia: 

• The catatonia
• Hebefrenia
• paranoid (schizophrenia)

The pathological concept aroused great interest in the specialists of the time and revolutionized knowledge about delirium and hallucinations. It should be noted that it was contemporary to Freud and the revolution of psychoanalysis;In addition, he was strongly influenced by Czech.

Finally, it would be Eugen Bleuler who provided the current name to the disease through a study based on 647 clinical cases. Etymologically, schizophrenia is a word that is divided into schizo (division) and frantia (mind);Therefore, together it means the "division of the mind", a mental dichotomy.

This psychiatrist divided at the time the symptoms of schizophrenia into two groups. The first grouped the basic symptoms (4ES of Bleuler): lack of association, flattened effect, ambivalence and autism. The second group contains accessory symptoms, also called "positive symptoms";that is, they do not generate injuries (hallucinations, delusions, etc.).

Bleuler’s advances regarding schizophrenia gave way to more discoveries about psychiatry and psychology. The pathology is characterized by a series of features or symptoms of different nature: psychotic symptoms (delirium and hallucinations), depression, social isolation, mental disorder and attention deficit, among others. Its causes are varied, from the genetic predisposition, to the consumption of narcotics. Another important fact about it is that it affects approximately 1% of the population.

The treatment also suffered considerable evolution throughout history. In the beginning, those affected were socially excluded in asylum due to population prejudices about the disease;Later, psychoanalytic drugs and methods began to be used as a means of treatment. Currently, the patients are not isolated, but integrated into society;although negative thoughts still persist that erroneously defends that it is an aggressive and violent disease.

conclusion 

Social perception of social diseases in general has evolved over time;However, this closed mentality that seeks the exclusion of these patients for fear continues to be latent. In the case of schizophrenia, this rejection is evident;However, a change in this thought can greatly facilitate the treatment of these pathologies and guarantee the well -being of the sick.