In a historical review some aspects and themes of our schizophrenia research since 1950 are outlined. Crucial points are our clinical-neuroradiological findings, the long-term Course investigations (Heidelberg-, Wiesloch- and Bonn-Study), the studies on the problem of delusion and the search for evidence of the somatosis hypothesis with brain imaging, neurohistopathological, neurochemical and neuropsychological methods. The mainly on psychopathological-somatic correlations directed investigations with the monograph,Pneumencephalographic and psychopathological Pictures in endogenous psychoses" [49] and ,,Chronic schizophrenia" [52] went from the beginning hand in hand with the stepwise development of the basic symptom concept, the follow-up and early recognition and intervention research, proceeding from the first. descriptions of the ,,Cenesthetic schizophrenia" (1957-[48]), the asthenic pure cognitive-dynamic deficiency syndromes, the lethal catatonic and other symptomatic schizophrenias. They led to a differentiation of the so-called schizophrenic defect into typical and uncharacteristic, psychotic and nonpychotic remission types and to a revision of the classical dogmas, the continuous progression and fundamental psychopathological 'otherness' and numinous singularity of schizophrenias. The prospective Bonn-Cologne early recognition study demonstrated, that schizophrenic diseases begin on average 3-5 years before the psychotic first manifestation with prodromes, continuously passing over into the first psychotic episode, or still earlier with completely remitting outpost syndromes. Prodromes, psychotic episodes and postpsychotic pure deficiency syndromes, positive and negative, type I and type II schizophrenias are stages of one and the same disease process. In the life-long courses the most schizophrenias show the most time no characteristic schizophrenic syndromes. The studies led to the possibility of a primary and secondary prevention of the psychosis by means of the BSABS, using the preserved ability of the patients to realize their basic symptoms as deficiencies and to develop coping, avoiding and defence strategies. Distinct cognitive level-2 basic symptoms, i.e. cognitive thought, perception and action basic symptoms, are predictors and starting point experiences for the development of distinct first rank phenomena of the psychosis. Finally, we illustrate the discrepancy between marked advances of research and the reality of the care of many patients on the background of the susceptibility to ideologies, of errors and wrong turns in psychiatry with the core problem of still today not got over prejudices, discrimination and stigmatization of psychiatric diseases.
