Stigma and the renaming of schizophrenia

Abstract

Schizophrenia is a common disease with a prevalence rate of 1 %. Worldwide, roughly 24 million people suffer from it. The condition, initially coined “dementia praecox” by Kraepelin, was later termed “schizophrenie (schizophrenia)" by Bleuler, and the name has been used for over a century. In recent years, however, there has been a discussion whether schizophrenia, the disorder label, should be reconsidered.