Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder denoting an often chronic, major mental illness primarily affecting thinking, with attendant difficulties in perception of reality, which in turn can affect behavior and emotion. The primary sign of schizophrenia is considered to be fragmentation of basic thought structure and cognition, and the inability to distinguish between internal and external experience. People with schizophrenia may report hallucinations or be observed responding to them and may express clearly delusional beliefs. Social or occupational dysfunction, a number of secondary signs, and the lack of an identifiable organic cause may be used to confirm the diagnosis. Mainstream research has suggested that both biological and sociocultural influences are important contributing factors, with current research often focusing on the influences of biochemical and genetic factors on the neurobiology of the brain. The status of schizophrenia is considered controversial by some, who claim a lack of objectivity in the stated diagnostic criteria. There is no objective biological test for schizophrenia, and diagnosis is based on the basis of the self-reported experiences of the patient combined with the observations of the psychiatrist or other responsible clinician.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizophrenia

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1260: The Cathedral of Chartres was dedicated in the presence of King Louis IX of France. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral_of_Chartres)

1648: The Peace of Westphalia was signed, ending the Thirty Years' War and "officially" recognizing the United Provinces and Swiss Confederation. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_of_Westphalia)

1929: The Great Depression: The New York Stock Exchange crashed on "Black Thursday", setting off a chain of bankruptcies and triggering a worldwide economic depression. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_Street_Crash_1929)

1930: History of Brazil: A bloodless coup d'état ousted President Washington Luís Pereira de Sousa and President-elect Júlio Prestes. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Brazil_%281930-1945%29)

1945: The UN Charter, the constitution of the United Nations, entered into force. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Charter)

_____________________ Wikiquote of the day:

"The world is a comedy to those that think, a tragedy to those who feel." -- Horace Walpole (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Horace_Walpole)