schizophrenia

noun schizo·phre·nia \ˌskit-sə-ˈfrē-nē-ə\

: a very serious mental illness in which someone cannot think or behave normally and often experiences delusions

Full Definition of SCHIZOPHRENIA

: 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 delusions), perception (as hallucinations), and behavior —called also dementia praecox — compare paranoid schizophrenia

: contradictory or antagonistic qualities or attitudes <both parties…have exhibited schizophrenia over the desired outcome — Elizabeth Drew>

— schizo·phren·ic \-ˈfre-nik\ adjective or noun

— schizo·phren·i·cal·ly \-ni-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

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Origin of SCHIZOPHRENIA

New Latin

First Known Use: 1912

Other Psychology Terms

fetish, hypochondria, intelligence, mania, narcissism, neurosis, pathological, psychosis, schadenfreude, subliminal

Rhymes with SCHIZOPHRENIA

neurasthenia, sarracenia

Medical Dictionary

schizophrenia

noun schizo·phre·nia \ˌskit-sə-ˈfrē-nē-ə\

Medical Definition of SCHIZOPHRENIA

: 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