Final answer:
Sullivan identified two broad classes of schizophrenia, a severe mental illness with symptoms like hallucinations and delusions, requiring lifelong treatment with antipsychotic medications.
Step-by-step explanation:
Sullivan distinguished two broad classes of schizophrenia, which is a complex and often severe mental illness. Schizophrenia affects around one percent of the population in the United States and typically manifests in late adolescence or early adulthood. The disorder is characterized by symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, difficulty distinguishing between reality and imagination, emotional deregulation, and negative symptoms like a lack of pleasure, flattened affect, and diminished basic drives. The pathophysiology of schizophrenia is associated with dysfunctional dopaminergic and glutamatergic neurotransmitter systems, necessitating the use of antipsychotic medications that block dopamine receptors. These agents, while not curative, manage symptoms effectively for many patients, who may need to continue treatment indefinitely.
The accompanying references, including work from M.T. Tsuang, S. Snyder, and S.M. Lawrie, support understanding the multifaceted nature of schizophrenia and point towards gene-environment interactions, brain abnormalities, and the dopamine hypothesis as significant factors in its etiology. Knowledge in this field is continuously evolving, necessitating lifelong learning and adaptation for professionals in the medical community.