Changes

Like all the psychotic disorders, schizophrenia was thought from the start to have an organic basis, but Kraepelin was forced describe it as a "functional disorder." Early age of onset and absence of brain lesions such as might be found in epilepsy or tertiary syphilis, for example, encouraged early analysts to attempt treatment, especially in light of the limitations of other therapeutic modalities. It became plausible to suggest, at least tentatively, that schizophrenia was a psychological disorder that originated, like neurotic conflicts, in infancy and early childhood. The fact that some small but significant percentage of patients experienced full or partial recovery made it a target for therapies of all kinds, including psychoanalysis.