Professor Belinda Lennox, one of the report’s authors, described profound implications for the research.

Schizophrenia is a "devastating illness", she said, but "finding a potentially treatable cause for even a small proportion of people with this illness is very exciting."

In a British Social Attitudes survey about the illness, 46 per cent said they felt a schozophrenia diagnosis should affect someone's work promotion prospects, and only 27 per cent said they would be happy for a sufferer to marry into their family.

Professor Lennox said she hoped the research would challenge these attitudes. "By discovering that a proportion of schizophrenia is autoimmune, in the same way as diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis, I think this fundamentally challenges the stigma."

Another implication for the research, she said, is that a more joined-up approach across neurology and psychiatry may be needed to ensure patients get appropriate treatments.