A great deal of semantics can go into a name, especially schizophrenia. The name “schizophrenia” finds its origins from the term, “dementia praecox,” which originally referred to an “incurable, progressive disease” (Guloksuz & van Os, 2019). The word itself is highly stigmatized, linked to notions of “dangerousness; incurability and unpredictability” (Sartorius, et. al, 2014). This means that often even medical and psychosocial professionals today think if you are doing well, that means you can’t really have schizophrenia, because there’s no such thing as a good prognosis.

What our world is realizing though is that a diagnosis of schizophrenia does not mean hopelessness anymore. In fact, 70% of people who experience psychosis and are diagnosed with schizophrenia are not categorized as having a "poor prognosis" (Guloksuz & van Os, 2019). Several long-term outcomes studies have shown for quite some time that the majority of schizophrenia patients may recover and have a long-term positive outcome (Bleuler, 1978; Harding et al, 1987; Ciompi, 1980).

Countries all over the world have recognized for some time the need and benefits of renaming schizophrenia, and along with renaming it, reconceptualizing what this disease really means and reeducating the public and health care system on what the prognosis really is. The first country to do so was Japan. In 1993, Japan started the process of renaming what they call schizophrenia, which in Japanese translates into “mind-splitting disease.” The new name, “disintegration disorder,” was finally adopted through legislation in 2005 and implemented (Maruta & Matsumoto, 2019).

It is important to understand that this renaming was not merely a label switch, nor should it be. The process used to come up with the new name in and of itself also served as a profound, necessary reconceptualization of the disorder itself with the public and with health care. According to Sartorius, et. al (2014), a name........

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