Forty-five years of schizophrenia: personal reflections

Abstract

Views about schizophrenia can change dramatically, even within one lifetime. In order to illustrate such changes over the last forty-five years, this article uses the example of ‘Mandy’, a composite woman patient with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. It shows that, although there have been many advances over this period, understanding of schizophrenia continues to be elusive, and treatments remain imperfect. Therefore, as perspectives shift and the ground moves beneath us, the psychiatric profession needs to anchor itself firmly in the stories our patients tell us.