Types of Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that seems to be caused due to genetic disposition or environmental factors like stress, trauma or abuse. This is a very challenging mental health condition, where the patient is not able to understand the difference between reality and fantasy. They cannot think clearly and are unable to control their emotions. A schizophrenic has his own take on reality that is far from true. They begin to hear things, see things and feel things. They are in constant fear of being harmed by the unknown or someone near to them. The confusion and fear in their minds tends to cloud their judgment. These people tend to move away from the society and begin to live an isolated life. This condition affects both men and women. It can strike as early as the adolescent age or may appear in adulthood. In very rare cases, childhood schizophrenia is also observed. It has been found out that there are about 2 million Americans living with schizophrenia. There are 5 types of schizophrenia that may affect an individual. These disorders are identified according to the prominent symptoms exhibited in each type.

Different Types of Schizophrenia

Looking at the history of schizophrenia, 5 types of schizophrenia have been categorized by medical experts. These different types are classified according to the symptoms experienced by the patient. The symptoms of schizophrenia may change over time. Therefore, it is very much possible, that a person develops more than one type of schizophrenia.

Paranoid Schizophrenia
Paranoid schizophrenia is one of the types, where the patient develops delusions and auditory hallucinations. They begin to believe someone in the government is conspiring against them, or people are sending over messages to them through the television, radio, etc. They feel they are being spied upon or plotted against by the people they trust or love. They may hear voices that comment on their behavior, talk to them and order them to do things. These people are more functional and generally do not talk about their symptoms. This type of schizophrenia is considered to be the most treatable from all other types.

Disorganized Schizophrenia
Symptoms of disorganized schizophrenia include child-like behavior, disorganized speech and behavior as well as unusual thought process. They are unable to organize their thoughts and connect them in a logical sequence. They have slurred or garbled speech that makes it difficult to understand what they are talking about. They often suffer from 'thought blocking'. This is a symptom, where they suddenly stop in middle of a thought. When asked the reason, they say the thought was pulled out of their minds by someone. They have a monotonous voice, blank or immobile facial expressions and purposeless behavior. They cannot take care of themselves, personal hygiene, etc. This makes them more agitated and frustrated.

Catatonic Schizophrenia
Catatonic schizophrenia is a type of schizophrenia where the patient is usually uncoordinated, clumsy and have an unusual mannerism. These patients have disturbances of movement. They tend to develop jerky movements and repetitively carry out these unusual movements like flapping their hands or thrashing their legs. In some cases, the patient becomes completely immobile. They will sit, stand or stay in a strange stance for hours or days on end. They are completely unable to take care of themselves due to their behavior. Sometimes, the person repeats a single word or sentence over and over again. Catatonic schizophrenia is one of the rare types.

Residual Schizophrenia
People who are long-term schizophrenics develop residual schizophrenia. These patients do not show any of the positive symptoms of schizophrenia. These symptoms include catatonic behavior, hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech or behavior, etc. However, these patients show symptoms such as monotonous voice, blank face, lack of pleasure or happiness, inability to perform a planned activity, lack of interaction with others. These people need help with their daily activities as they cannot take care of themselves as well as basic hygiene.

Undifferentiated Schizophrenia
Undifferentiated schizophrenia is a type of schizophrenia in which the patient exhibits symptoms that cannot be categorized. This means there are different symptoms that are prominent in each type, but cannot be grouped into any one of the types of schizophrenia.

Types of Schizophrenia in Children

As mentioned above, there are rare cases where schizophrenia affects children. Schizophrenia can affect a child as young as 5 years or during the adolescent age. However, schizophrenia in children is a very rare occurrence. Only 3 children in every 1,000 kids under the age of 12 develop schizophrenia. The early signs and symptoms of schizophrenia in children are not very specific. These children often have hallucinations, attention problems, poor social skills, depression, inconsistent body movements, lack of verbal communication, disorganized behavior, speech and thinking, etc. When you see a child with schizophrenia, he will have no or very little feelings, have inappropriate exhibition of emotions at the wrong place or time, and make poor eye contact.

This is a very difficult mental illness that has confused medical experts since ages. It is always better to seek expert medical opinion, regarding schizophrenia symptoms and solutions. Early medical intervention is the best way for schizophrenia treatment. After reading about the 5 types of schizophrenia, you may be able to spot schizophrenic tendencies in someone you care about.