SCZ
Medical abbreviation · Mental Health & Psychiatry
| Stands for | Schizophrenia |
|---|---|
| Categories | Medical |
SCZ stands for Schizophrenia, a mental health & psychiatry abbreviation.
Chronic psychotic disorder with hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking, negative symptoms such as reduced motivation and emotional expression, and cognitive impairment, typically beginning in late adolescence or early adulthood. Antipsychotic medication combined with psychosocial support is the core of treatment.
Example: SCZ, chronic, on paliperidone LAI monthly; stable housing, attending vocational program.
Usage notes
Also abbreviated SZ or Sz in research, though Sz often means seizure in neurology. Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler coined the term in 1908 from Greek words for "split mind", referring to fragmented thinking, not split personality. It affects roughly 1 in 300 people worldwide. Clozapine is the only drug approved for treatment-resistant schizophrenia, and in 2024 the FDA approved xanomeline-trospium, the first antipsychotic that does not act mainly on dopamine receptors.
Related abbreviations
More mental health & psychiatry abbreviations
- PPD – Postpartum depression
- PTSD – Post-traumatic stress disorder
- RAD – Reactive attachment disorder
- SA – Suicide attempt
- SAD – Seasonal affective disorder
- SBIRT – Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment
- SI – Suicidal ideation
- SIB – Self-injurious behavior
- SLD – Specific learning disorder
- SMI – Serious mental illness
- SUD – Substance use disorder
- TD – Tardive dyskinesia
See all 100 mental health & psychiatry abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.