Deions of schizophrenia have been found as far back as the second millennium B.C. Ancient texts from Greek and Roman literature, in addition to the Egyptian "Book of Hearts," describe thought disturbances pathognomonic of schizophrenia in detail in the ancient world.

Due to lack of understanding of mental illness, patients with schizophrenia often suffered from maltreatment. It wasn t until the end of the 18th century that the French physician Philippe Pinel identified individuals with schizophrenia as "mentally ill" and in need of medical care. Still, psychopharmacological treatment was not introduced for another 150 years.

German psychiatrist Emil Kraeplin provided one of the first characterizations of the symptoms, course, and prognosis of schizophrenia in the late 1800s. He coined the term "dementia praecox," emphasizing the cognitive deficits that occur in the early adolescence of patients with schizophrenia. This term was replaced in 1911, when Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler introduced the term "schizophrenia," stressing the occurrence of schisms between thought, emotion, and behavior. Although often used in lay vernacular, "schizophrenia" is not synonymous with multiple personality disorder or split personality