Types of Schizophrenia

Types of Schizophrenia Related Information:

Schizophrenia is a severe and disabling brain disease, which affects many people. It includes different side effects that can cause an individual to feel fear or even totally withdrawn from society. However, schizophrenia can come in many forms and there are many different types of the illness.

The various types of schizophrenia include Paranoid schizophrenia, disorganized schizophrenia, Catatonic schizophrenia, Residual schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and undifferentiated schizophrenia.

Paranoid schizophrenia is the most common form of the illness in the world. Some of the common symptoms of this form include delusions of persecution, visual hallucinations, hearing voices in their minds that threaten or control them, jealousy, and even bodily changes. Paranoid schizophrenia may occur in episodes with remission or may be completely chronic.

Disorganized schizophrenia, also known as Hebephrenic, is a form in which symptoms are prominent. The individual behaves irresponsibly, inappropriate mood with giggling or smiling, and often reiterated phrases. There may also be an obsession with religion, philosophy or some other theme.

Catatonic schizophrenia is a form with psychomotor disturbance, which may switch between hyperkinesis and stupor. Attitude and certain postures may be maintained for long periods of time and there may even times of violent excitement.

Residual schizophrenia is a chronic stage in the development of the illness. It shows a progression from an early to later stage with permanent negative symptoms.

Schizoaffective disorder is a perplexing form of the mental illness, in which a patient shows psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia including delusions, but at the same time shows the symptoms of a mood disorder such as depression. The two total opposites in this type of schizophrenia make the treatment and control of the disease very tough.

Undifferentiated schizophrenia shows the general symptoms of the disease, but not classed as any one type. It will show symptoms of three of the above types of schizophrenia. Patients with this form exhibit many different symptoms seen from all types of the disease.