In a recent column published in Le Monde, a group of doctors and patients asked to “remove” the term “schizophrenia”, which is “stigmatizing” and “is not scientific”.
- In a column published in Le Monde, doctors and patients propose changing the word “schizophrenia” to help change views on this psychiatric illness.
- Because of the stereotypes and misconceptions that circulate about this pathology, people with this disorder have a pejorative image and are stigmatized.
- Furthermore, this term, introduced by the Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler in 1911, “is not scientific.”
“Schizophrenia”. This word is currently used to refer to a complex chronic psychiatric illness. According to Inserm And the World Health Organization (WHO), this pathology, which affects approximately 24 million people worldwide, results in a disturbed perception of reality, productive manifestations, such as delusions or hallucinations, and passive manifestations, such as social and relational isolation. It causes considerable disability and can impact different aspects of life, including personal, family, social, educational and occupational functioning.
Stereotypes and misconceptions linked to the word “schizophrenia” cause patients to suffer
Recently, a collective of doctors and patients questioned this term and proposed finding another name to help change the way the general population perceives schizophrenia. In a column published in The worldon February 6, health professionals and associations recalled that the word “schizophrenia” was introduced for the first time by the Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler in 1911. It comes from the Greek “schizo”, which means “to split” and “phren,” which refers to the mind.”
Problem: while violations of the human rights of schizophrenics are already common, the negative social representations and stigmatizing consequences associated with this term are likely to cause patients more suffering than the disorder itself. “The stereotypes and misconceptions that circulate about schizophrenia are still too often relayed by the media, which associate schizophrenia and split personality or duplicity, schizophrenia and violence/criminality, or schizophrenia and extreme dangerousness. Society has therefore constructed a social representation of people suffering from these disorders is particularly pejorative, far removed from reality and their experiences.”
“Remove schizophrenic disorders from the classifications of psychological disorders”
Another point highlighted by practitioners and associations: the term “schizophrenia” “is not scientific”. This was reported by members of the International Society for Psychological and Social Approaches to Psychosis in March 2012. Thus, faced with these reasons, the collective demands the disappearance of this word. “French psychiatry must take responsibility for changing its care practices and remove schizophrenic disorders from the classifications of psychological disorders.”
