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Definition of schizophrenia
1 medical : a mental disorder that is characterized by disturbances in thought (such as delusions), perception (such as hallucinations), and behavior (such as disorganized speech or catatonic behavior), by a loss of emotional responsiveness and extreme apathy, and by noticeable deterioration in the level of functioning in everyday life —called also dementia praecox ◆Schizophrenia often involves an inability to orient oneself with reality, a withdrawal from social interactions, and a failure to integrate thoughts with emotions so that emotional expression is inappropriate. There are several subtypes of schizophrenia, including paranoid schizophrenia and those types marked by catatonia or hebephrenia .
2 : contradictory or antagonistic qualities or attitudes both parties … have exhibited schizophrenia over the desired outcome — Elizabeth Drew
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Recent Examples of schizophrenia from the Web
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The distinction Bush has always made between campaigning and governing created a kind of political schizophrenia.
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Braeburn is developing a similar implant for schizophrenia, while Titan is working on one for Parkinson's, among other diseases.
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Playing on the ambiguity of whether its protagonist David (Dan Stevens) is suffering from schizophrenia or developing superpowers, Legion is one of the most surreal, daring, visually innovative new shows of the year.
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Family members called police about 6 p.m. to report that the man was acting erratically and possibly suffering from schizophrenia, police said.
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Within a few months, Murad was deposed by a coalition of family members and government ministers amid allegations of paranoia and schizophrenia, and imprisoned for the rest of his life.
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Joe Bauer struggled with psychogenic polydipsia, the uncontrollable impulse to drink liquid which is often associated with schizophrenia, and had been having trouble following the staff's instructions to refrain from drinking.
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Police seized an empty prescription bottle from inside the home that indicated she had just filled a prescription for quetiapine, an antipsychotic drug used to treat such illnesses as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
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The family’s mother died from cancer and a sister, Sarah, died while institutionalized with schizophrenia before Levi Aron was arrested, according to Levi Aron’s psychiatric report obtained by the AP.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'schizophrenia'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of schizophrenia
New Latin
Other Psychology Terms
Medical Dictionary
schizophrenia
playMedical Definition of schizophrenia
: a mental 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
Learn More about schizophrenia
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See words that rhyme with schizophrenia Spanish Central: Translation of schizophrenia Nglish: Translation of schizophrenia for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of schizophrenia for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about schizophrenia
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