Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Development of a Virtual Reality Assessment of Everyday Living Skills
Published on: April 23, 2014
Schizophrenia should be renamed to help educate patients and the public
1Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York 10022, USA. levint@mskcc.org
Background:
A new name for schizophrenia, reflecting a biopsychosocial conceptualization, may have utility in educating patients and the public. If readily translatable, it would be of great value in transcultural psychiatry. It may be clinically beneficial to psychoeducation in evidence-based treatment modalities such as medication management, multifamily group psycho-education and cognitive therapy.
Discussion:
Neuro-Emotional Integration Disorder (NEID) is proposed as the biopsychosocial candidate term to replace schizophrenia. The following subtypes are proposed: defensive type replacing paranoid, motoric type replacing catatonic, Brief Neuro-Emotional-Integration Breakdown (B-NEIB) replacing brief psychotic episode, NEID-Time Limited replacing schizophreniform disorder. Schizoaffective disorder might be termed NEID-Bipolar type. Anti-psychotic medication would be termed NEI-Enhancing medication.
Conclusions:
By emphasizing the neuropsychiatric basis of this 'highly treatable brain disorder' through its labeling, stigma may ultimately be reduced. Even if the term NEID is not ultimately adopted, the principles outlined here should be helpful in choosing a replacement term for 'schizophrenia'.
Related Concept Videos
Schizophrenia
Positive Symptoms of Schizophrenia: Hallucinations and Delusions
Thought Disorders
Disorganized and unusual thought processes mark thought disorders in schizophrenia. One key feature is disorganized speech, where an individual's conversation includes loosely...
Positive Symptoms Schizophrenia: Hallucinations and Delusions
Hallucinations
Hallucinations in...
Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia
Drug Therapy
Antianxiety Medications
Psychosis: Goals of Pharmacotherapy
