Schizophrenia as an adjective

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Grammarist

Schizophrenia is a complex medical disease in which the person loses touch with reality and thinks or acts in illogical ways.

A person can be schizophrenic if he or she is diagnosed with schizophrenia. The person can also be called schizophrenic if he or she shows conflicting thoughts or actions, so it is as if he or she has lost touch with reality.

An event or object can also be schizophrenic. 

The adverb form is schizophrenically.

The word comes from the Greek which literally means to split one’s mind.

A related term is schizo, an adjective that describes something or someone as being schizophrenic.

Also schizoid is informally a synonym for schizo. However, it is an official term in the field of psychiatry and should be used with caution. In fact, all of these terms in this post should be used with discretion as persons with mental illness may find them offensive.

Examples

Is a Brazilian national due to be executed imminently for smuggling cocaine into Indonesia a paranoid schizophrenic in urgent need of psychiatric care? [The Washington Post]

Instead, said the prime minister, the U.S. diplomat posted in Belgrade said that “we are in a situation that is a bit schizophrenic,” as Serbs have “an emotionally good” stance towards Russians, while at the same time “we want to live like in Europe.” [B92]

Spader’s voice — menacing, schizophrenically leaping from wit to menace like a mad Shakespearean king — is enhanced by some fantastic character design. [Wired]