Schizophrenia: What It Is and Isn’t

The word “schizophrenia” was in the news frequently after the fatal shootings in Tucson, Arizona, on January 8th. Though the suspect had not been diagnosed, several mental health professionals said he had appeared schizophrenic. For many, it served as an explanation for something they couldn’t understand (as “political rhetoric” or “gun laws” served the same purpose for others).

What is schizophrenia, and how does it cause someone to do the unthinkable? Is violence typical schizophrenic behavior?

The word means literally “splitting of the mind” in Greek, according to the Online Etymology Dictionary. This causes many people (including some in the media, who should know better) to confuse it with multiple personality disorder. But the schizophrenic’s mind is not split into different identities — it’s split from reality.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, hallucinations are a symptom of schizophrenia. Most commonly, they are voices, which may order the schizophrenic person to do something (“command hallucinations”). Another symptom is delusions — false beliefs, possibly like suspect Jared Loughner’s belief that the government was brainwashing people with grammar.

Although people with schizophrenia may have command hallucinations urging them to harm others, they are not usually violent, according to NIMH. When they are, it usually takes the form of attacks on family members at home, not shooting sprees against strangers. They are at much more risk of committing suicide — in fact, about 10% of people with schizophrenia take their own lives.

Schizophrenia is treatable — often, the hard part is overcoming a person’s resistance to treatment, and helping them see that it can give them a better life.

As Dr. Thomas Insel, Director of NIMH, says, “Early intervention offers the best hope to prevent more tragedies in the future.”