Main Entry: schizo·phre·nia

Pronunciation: \ˌskit-sə-ˈfrē-nē-ə\

Function: noun

: a psychotic disorder characterized by loss of contact with the environment, by noticeable deterioration in the level of functioning in everyday life, and by disintegration of personality expressed as disorder of feeling, thought (as in delusions), perception (as in hallucinations), and behavior—called also dementia praecox; see paranoid schizophrenia