Five Types of Schizophrenia: Know Them All
The word “schizophrenia” derives from the Greek roots “skhizein” (to split) and “phren” (mind). Often people confuse this illness with split personality disorder/dissociative identity disorder, which is a different problem entirely. Swiss psychologist Eugene Bleuler (1857-1939) first coined the term because he felt schizophrenia was characterized by a “split mind,” with sufferers often seeing or hearing things that are not there and believing in false delusions. By contrast, patients with dissociative identity disorder have several well-defined different personalities and actually believe they are someone else, depending on the day or time. The different types of schizophrenia are believed to be caused by brain malfunction, whereas patients with dissociative identity disorder often have a history of extreme physical or sexual abuse.
Of all the schizophrenia types, the most prevalent is paranoid schizophrenia, which is found in 40% of all affected patients. Paranoid-type schizophrenia is marked by delusions and hallucinations. Often, people feel they are being watched, spied on or sabotaged. In other cases, schizophrenics may have delusions of grandeur and feel they are here for a special purpose, such as a savior who was sent to warn the people about some impending disaster. Some individuals may be possessed by jealousy or incited with explosive anger suddenly.
While not as common, there are other types of schizophrenia. With catatonic-type schizophrenia, patients may sit and stare for hours on end with a vacuous look in their eyes. They generally withdraw from family and friends, stop speaking and neglect their personal hygiene. A person with disorganized-type schizophrenia might speak using an invented language, walk in strange steps, pace constantly and switch from one topic to the next quickly without transition. After the acute phase of schizophrenia, some people develop what is called “residual schizophrenia,” which is a period of social withdrawal, lack of motivation and inappropriate emotions. If the mental disorder does not fit neatly into any of these categories, doctors might say it’s an “undifferentiated” type.
Often times, the various types of schizophrenia are called “undifferentiated schizophrenia” if the symptoms do not fall under the category of paranoid schizophrenia. Before making a diagnosis, doctors monitor the patient’s symptoms for a period of at least six months. It’s estimated that a third of patients recover from a schizophrenic episode without requiring long-term treatment. However, the most severe cases will require life-long dependency on anti-psychotic medications to enable a longer, healthier life.
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