New model of recovery reframes schizophrenia treatment
In an interview on ynet’s studio, Dr. Zvi Fishel, a psychiatrist and former head of the Psychiatric Association, said schizophrenia is among medicine’s most complex and stigmatized illnesses. He described it as a brain disease affecting broad areas of the brain and producing varied symptoms, and said it affects about 1% of the population. The article was published on June 11, 2026, at 12:18, in cooperation with BMS.
Fishel said research increasingly treats schizophrenia as a cluster of illnesses rather than one uniform disorder, because different patients are affected in different brain regions and receptors. He divided symptoms into four groups, positive symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations and paranoia, negative symptoms that include loss of motivation, initiative and decision-making, mood disorders ranging from depression to elevated mood, and cognitive symptoms such as reduced abstraction, perception and ability to learn new things.
He stressed that the biggest disability can appear after psychosis improves, when patients look well but still lack energy, organization and will. That often creates conflict with families, who see the patient as recovered and push for activity. Fishel said one of the key roles of treatment is to explain to families to back off, because patients cannot simply be forced.
He reviewed the evolution of treatment, from early antipsychotics linked to dopamine to later drugs that also act on norepinephrine, serotonin and acetylcholine. He said modern care must combine biological, psychological and social treatment, with precise drug matching, long-term adherence and tolerable side effects, plus rehabilitation, work and community frameworks so patients can live meaningful lives. He warned that repeated relapses worsen the illness and urged early treatment, saying both patients and families should seek help quickly. He also called on society not to avoid people with schizophrenia, but to help them when they need assistance.
