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The word "schizophrenic" has been tossed around on V2020 as if people actually know what it means, though the intent of some posts may have been sarcastic and humorous, rather than to use this word as a technical medical description.<BR>
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I am posting to the list two sources for a definition of "schizophrenia." To anyone thoroughly surveying these definitions, it should be obvious that this word has become a catch all phrase for a wide range of behavioral and mental difficulties that are so different in etiology and description that using the word "schizophrenic" to label someone can be very imprecise and misleading. Some in the psychiatric profession have suggested abandoning use of this word due to these difficulties. The word "schizophrenic" originates from a very primitive period in the development of human understanding of the mind/brain of our species. It is nearly as useless a term to specifically and precisely describe a mental illness as labeling someone "bonkers."<BR>
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Below find the "American" and "European" definition. <BR>
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<A HREF="http://www.mentalhealth.com/dis1/p21-ps01.html">http://www.mentalhealth.com/dis1/p21-ps01.html</A><BR>
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<A HREF="http://www.mentalhealth.com/icd/p22-ps01.html">http://www.mentalhealth.com/icd/p22-ps01.html</A><BR>
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Ted Moffett<BR>
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