Involuntary Psychiatric Treatment Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder characterized by a variety of symptoms and disorganization of feelings and thinking. It is an incurable disease whose causes are unknown, but whose effects are crippling to the mind and body. (Young, 1988, p.13-14) This topic was chosen because it is interesting to study a disorder that is seen throughout the world as a classic example of insanity and mental illness. Another point of interest is that, unlike many diseases, schizophrenia has no obvious pattern, and its difficulty in being diagnosed as an illness makes it difficult to collect statistics. It is important to know more about schizophrenia because a significant number of people are affected by it every day. In the United States alone, schizophrenia patients occupy more hospital beds than any other type of patient. Schizophrenics also account for nearly 40% of admissions to state and county hospitals. (Smith, 1992, p.32) In researching schizophrenia, perhaps the best way to begin its study is to look at its past and history. Even if it's just to assume that today's definitions of schizophrenia may differ from those of the past, it makes sense to also include the fact that it has existed as far as history can go. Many people during the 1800s were often called crazy because of the disorganization of thinking and feelings that existed. (Smith, 1992, p.28) Later, in the 1800s, more stories about "madness" arose, and in the early 1900s, doctors began calling this disease dementia praecox, meaning "mad" or "out of one's mind." . ." In 1896, schizophrenia was recognized as a mental illness by a German psychiatrist named Email Kraeplin. His recognition of the illness was made after careful... half of a sheet of paper......thoughts that occur and are known to change brain chemicals in a way that brings the brain closer to a more normal and calm state. Another form of treatment is psychotherapy, which is a form of hypnosis that alters the thinking of the brain. It is most effective when used with antipsychotic drugs. (Smith, 1992, p. 54-57) Schizophrenia is truly tragic. It affects 1.5 to 2 million people. It is a disorder in which a person is unable to function properly mentally and physically. The multiple forms of schizophrenia often call into question the different theories about its causes. Twin studies have supported the fact that schizophrenia can be hereditary, although they exist many other possible causes such as brain disorders. There is no cure for schizophrenia, but there are many treatments involving psychiatry and medicine that could eventually lead to one.