The Different Types of Schizophrenia

Mental health disorders are complicated and can be hard to diagnose. Often, people have overlapping symptoms or more than one disorder at the same time. Because of these variations, mental health disorders are often classified by broad term first and then broken down into more specific disorders. One such example is with schizophrenia.

What Are Schizophrenia Disorders?

Schizophrenia disorders are mental health disorders that interfere with a person’s perception of reality. They are often characterized by delusions and hallucinations. These disorders are usually severe and require mental health care in order for the person to manage their symptoms and lead a more normal life.

What Are the Different Types of Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia isn’t just one type of disorder. It is a term used to classify a series of mental health disorders that fall along the same spectrum. There are actually several different types of schizophrenia depending on the person’s symptoms, but generally, the main types of schizophrenia include paranoid schizophrenia, catatonic schizophrenia, disorganized or hebephrenic schizophrenia, residual schizophrenia, and undifferentiated schizophrenia.

Paranoid Schizophrenia

Paranoid schizophrenia is the kind of schizophrenia that is usually exaggerated in movies and by the media. It is the most common form of schizophrenia and is usually characterized by positive schizophrenia symptoms like delusions and hallucinations.

Catatonic Schizophrenia

This rare type of schizophrenia is unique in that it involves physical movement. Catatonia can be its own disorder, but people with catatonic schizophrenia often have negative symptoms of schizophrenia and are not very responsive. They may not react to stimuli, stay in strange body positions, make odd movements, or even have rigid limbs that will stay in the position that they are moved to.

Hebephrenic or Disorganized Schizophrenia

Hebephrenic schizophrenia is also called disorganized schizophrenia because these people usually have disorganized speech and behavior. They may also have inappropriate emotional responses or lack of any emotional response.

Residual Schizophrenia

Residual schizophrenia is used when people have a past history of positive schizophrenia symptoms but now only have lingering negative symptoms or none at all. These lingering symptoms may include poor attention, some mental disorganization, and emotional withdrawal.

Undifferentiated Schizophrenia

Undifferentiated schizophrenia is the classification given to people who may not fit into any of these other classifications of schizophrenia because they are showing symptoms for more than one kind. These people may exhibit both positive and negative symptoms.

While there are different types of schizophrenia, these disorders fall on a spectrum and should be treated as such. Schizophrenia treatment will differ not only based on the type of schizophrenia, but also on the individual. Typically, treatment will include a combination of medicine and psychotherapy.

While schizophrenia of every kind can interfere with a person’s everyday life, to make matters worse, some people who are struggling to manage or cope with their symptoms may turn to drugs or alcohol. When this becomes their norm, they may develop a substance abuse disorder and a dual diagnosis treatment is often required to treat both problems.

Instead of letting your mental health or the mental health of your loved one continue to cause more problems, get help now. At Banyan Mental Health, we help people learn how to manage their symptoms so that they can move forward with their lives. To get more information or to get started, reach out to us today at 888-280-4763.