Schizophrenia: A syndrome approach

Abstract

Schizophrenia represents a group of chronic psychotic mental disorders with multi-factorial causes, whose fundamental characteristics are a distortion of reality and the appearance of many symptoms related to psychological function and behavior. The multi-factorial etiopathology of this illness is related to the organic, psychodynamic and social moment of the start of the illness, but we cannot be certain what, initiates it. In past decades and up to the present day, scientific research has been focused on the etiopathogenesis of different categories, which are related to genetic liability, an association with neuro-transmitted disorders, neuro-development, neuro-degeneration and other presumed etiopathological factors. The conglomerate symptoms of schizophrenia are symptoms, which we cannot separate from the Syndrome approach; therefore this illness cannot be discussed as a unique clinical entity.