Episode 45. Shattered – The Split Mind of Schizophrenia

In this podcast episode, I explore the diverse facets of the debilitating mental illness schizophrenia. I particularly highlight its varied manifestations such as delusions, hallucinations, disorganised thoughts and abnormal behaviours.

I illustrate these concepts with insightful illness memoirs, such as the classics Is There No Place on Earth for Me, by Susan Sheehan, The Centre Cannot Hold, by Ellen Saks, and A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar'. These especially demonstrate the frequent manifestation of the disease as paranoid schizophrenia with grandiose and paranoid delusions. I use these memoirs to explore the genetic, environmental and maternal risks factors of schizophrenia, the long-term and frequently relapsing course of the disease, and the requirement for treating with a combination of drug and psychologi ...