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The clinical conditions referred to as schizophrenia share in common certain phenomena (thinking disorder, emotional disorder, and a narcissistic orientation with apperceptive distortions). They consist of widely differing syndromes with a multitude of etiological factors leading to a common final path. These may be primarily psychogenic or primarily somatic, but always both. The somatic predisposition plus the sociopsychological predisposition (childhood conditioning) lead to a liability toward the schizophrenic reaction type. However, psychological and somatic (organic disease) precipitating forces may be relatively prominent.
The term schizophrenia is suggested where there is a minimum of somatic and a maximum of sociopsychological predisposition, and also where there is a minimum of somatic and a maximum of psychological precipitating causes. Where there is a maximum of somatic and constitutional predisposition and a minimum of sociopsychological predisposition or precipitating causes the term dementia præcox is advised. The principal types of therapy, such as psychoanalysis, repressive psychotherapy, occupational therapy, shock therapy, or lobotomy, function either in strengthening the ego or weakening the id or superego.