The disease called schizophrenia was first described by German psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin in the 1890s (Begley, 2002, 44). Schizophrenia is a common psychotic disorder which affects approximately one percent of the population, which transcends economic status, education level, geographic location, and family structure and functionality (Begley, 2002, 44; Zablocki, 2004, 48). There is no way to accurately predict who will become schizophrenic, and the cause is largely unknown, although there is almost certainly a genetic predisposition for the disorder (Begley, 2002, 44). However, the genetic component is not omnipotent because in identical twins, one can be affected and the other not. Symptoms often begin in late adolescence, and sometimes in childhood, and the disorder affects men and women equally. If the disorder is left untreated, it leads to progressive deterioration in the ability to carry out normal daily functions (Zablocki, 2004, 48).
Schizophrenia is diagnosed if there is persistent presence of at least two of the following symptoms: delusions, hallucinations, frequently incoherent speech, disorganized or catatonic behavior, or the absence of feeling or volition (Begley, 2002, 44). However, if the delusions are particularly bizarre, or if the hallucinations consist of multiple voices carrying on a conversation, or a running commentary of what the person is doing or thinking, then this is enough for a diagnosis of schizophrenia. In a form of schizophrenia known as catatonic schizophrenia, the patient appears to be in a stupor, is unresponsive, or assumes bizarre postures, and makes bizarre movements, accompanied by exaggerated mannerisms and grimaces.
For example, Andrea Yates, who drowned her five children in the bathtub, was found to be schizophrenic and depressed when she killed her children. She would sit in the court room and stare into space for two hours, scratch her head until it was bald, and pat he...