Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe and disabling brain disorder that has been recognized throughout recorded history. People with schizophrenia may hear voices other people don't hear or they may believe that others are reading their minds, controlling their thoughts, or plotting to harm them. These experiences are terrifying and can often cause fearfulness, withdrawal, and extreme agitation. People with schizophrenia may sit for hours without moving or talking, or may seem perfectly fine until they talk about what they are really thinking.

In his book What Really Causes Schizophrenia?, Harold Foster discusses the work of Pfeiffer and his approach to treating schizophrenia.Foster points out that Pfeiffer had upwards of a 90% success rate in re-socializing institutionalized schizophrenics with his nutritional approach to treatment.

Orthomolecular psychiatry, the branch of orthomolecular medicine that uses dietary supplements and other treatments for treating mental illness, has been extensively used to treat schizophrenia. Some of the best-known proponents and cofounders of orthomolecular psychiatry are Abram Hoffer, Humphry Osmond, Linus Pauling and Carl Curt Pfeiffer all of whom have studied schizophrenia and nutrition extensively.

Abram Hoffer had similar success using orthomolecular psychiatric methods, such as nutrition therapy, fasting and hypoallergenic diets. These doctors and scientists - Hoffer, Pauling, Pfeiffer, and others - were the pioneers for today’s work in the field of nutrition and mental illness.

According to orthomolecular psychiatry, the causes of psychotic disorders include pyroluria, histadelia (elevated histamine and basophiles), histapenia with high serum copper (low histamine with high copper), food allergy, hypoglycemia, hypothyroidism in the presence of normal thyroid values, heavy metal intoxications, as well as other rarer conditions.

The prognosis for schizophrenia varies. By definition, schizophrenia is a chronic condition that includes persistent or recurring challenges and difficulty functioning. Untreated schizophrenia is dangerous and life expectancy can be shortened if the person drifts away from supportive relationships, if personal hygiene or self-care declines, or if poor judgment leads to accidents. However, with active treatment and the use of complimentary and alternative therapies in conjunction with standard medications, the impact of the illness can be significantly reduced.

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