Schizophrenia: Dispelling the Myths

Schizophrenia affects as many as 1 in 100 Americans over their lifetime. Roughly two million Americans have this disorder, which is twice as common as HIV/AIDS or Alzheimer’s disease. Yet few other diseases are shrouded in quite as much misinformation, lack of information, and secrecy. Pervasive stigma keeps most people in the dark until the disorder hits home and becomes up-close-and-personal. Here are a few of the most common myths about schizophrenia:

Schizophrenia is the same as a split or multiple personality

Schizophrenia is NOT the same as multiple personality, which is an exceedingly rare, totally different disorder, now more commonly called dissociative identity disorder.

Schizophrenia is a defect of character

The negative symptoms of schizophrenia (for example, the inability to experience simple pleasure from people or things, lack of initiative or motivation, lack of or limited speech) give the mistaken impression that people with schizophrenia are just lazy and could act normally if they wanted to. This idea is no more realistic than suggesting that someone with epilepsy could prevent a seizure if he tried harder.

Poor parenting causes schizophrenia

For many years, people blamed families—especially mothers—for causing schizophrenia because they were either too permissive or too controlling. These theories have no credibility today. Scientific studies suggest that this no-fault brain disorder is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors.

There’s no hope for people diagnosed with schizophrenia

Because of new medications, psychosocial treatments, and consumer and family psychoeducation, schizophrenia is now considered highly treatable. The emergence of these new therapies has enabled doctors to treat the symptoms of most patients with schizophrenia, enabling them to live meaningful, productive lives in their communities. Improved mental health literacy and public awareness help improve treatment outcomes and lessen stigma and disability.

To learn more about schizophrenia, ask questions and/or order a copy of the newly released, easy-to-read book, go to Schizophrenia for Dummies (Wiley, 2008).

Authors Jerome Levine, MD and Irene S. Levine, PhD are both professors of psychiatry at the New York University School of Medicine.