By Aparna S.
May 28, 2025: World Schizophrenia Day was observed recently to encourage society and mental health professionals to re-evaluate how we understand, represent, and respond to schizophrenia.
The theme for 2025, “Rethink the Label, Reclaim the Story,” serves as both a challenge and a call to action.
It urges us to critically examine the stigma associated with psychiatric labels in general, and schizophrenia in particular. This theme invites us to reflect on our attitudes toward people living with schizophrenia and consider how meaningful change can be achieved.
Schizophrenia is a complex neurobiological disorder that can have long-term effects. Unfortunately, it remains one of the most heavily stigmatised diagnoses in psychiatry.
The term itself often evokes fear and misunderstanding and is sometimes used interchangeably with derogatory words such as “lunatic” or equivalents in other languages.
Objects of ridicule
These negative perceptions are frequently reinforced by cultural stereotypes and media portrayals that trivialize schizophrenia, depicting individuals with the illness as objects of ridicule or comedy.
This stigmatising label not only shapes public perception but also deeply impacts the self-identity of those diagnosed. Sociological research shows that labelling and self-stigma can lead to reduced self-esteem, feelings of hopelessness, and social withdrawal—all of which hinder recovery.
Schizophrenia is characterised by significant impairments in the way reality is perceived and changes in behaviour in terms of persistent delusions — the person has fixed beliefs that something is true, despite evidence to the contrary.
There are persistent hallucinations — the person may hear, smell, see, touch, or feel things that are not there or may have experiences of influence, control or passivity.
Highly disorganised behaviours
They may experience that their feelings, impulses, actions, or thoughts are not generated by oneself, are being placed in one’s mind or withdrawn from one’s mind by others, or that one’s thoughts are being broadcast to others.
The World Health Organization further states that the patients may experience disorganised thinking, which is often observed as jumbled or irrelevant speech. They have highly disorganised behaviours.
Extreme agitation or slowing of movements, maintenance of unusual postures are other factors at play.
The language we use matters. Referring to someone as “a schizophrenic” rather than “a person with schizophrenia” subtly dehumanises them.
Adopting person-first language is not just a matter of political correctness; it is a clinical and ethical necessity that respects the dignity of individuals.
Dignity in adversity
Research indicates that individuals who can reflect on and reinterpret their illness within the context of their broader life story tend to demonstrate greater resilience and functional recovery.
Empowerment-based approaches in mental health highlight the importance of narrative identity—the ability to tell one’s own story with dignity and coherence despite adversity.
Reclaiming the story also means challenging the pessimism often associated with schizophrenia. The condition is not synonymous with chronic disability.
With appropriate medication, psychosocial support, and a nurturing environment, many people with schizophrenia achieve significant recovery and lead fulfilling lives.
Stigma’s impact extends beyond social attitudes; it directly affects clinical outcomes. It can delay help-seeking, reduce treatment adherence, and hinder social reintegration. Within families, stigma often intersects with Expressed Emotion (EE)—a key predictor of relapse in schizophrenia.
Psychoeducation
High EE environments, characterised by criticism, hostility, and emotional over-involvement, are linked to higher relapse rates. Conversely, families demonstrating warmth, empathy, and respectful boundaries—low EE—can protect against stress and symptom worsening.
Family-based interventions, such as psychoeducation and communication skills training, have proven effective in reducing EE and improving outcomes for both patients and caregivers.
These findings highlight the importance of addressing not only individual symptoms but also the emotional environment in which recovery takes place.
The 2025 theme, “Rethink the Label, Reclaim the Story,” reminds us that clinical labels should never define a person’s identity. Recovery is about more than symptom management. It is about fostering inclusion, dignity, and social reintegration.
As a global community, we share the responsibility to create a non-stigmatising, empowering environment that supports recovery and respects the humanity of all individuals living with schizophrenia.
(Dr Aparna S is a consultant psychiatrist and an Assistant Professor at the Believers Church Medical College Hospital, Tiruvalla, Kerala. Views expressed are her own and not of an organisation or company.)
