The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) reports that approximately 1.1 million American adults suffer from schizophrenia in any one year, affecting men and women in equal numbers. Schizophrenia is a severe and chronic brain disorder that's often totally disabling to its victims and burdensome to families and caretakers on whom the person depends. Symptoms of schizophrenia generally involve auditory and/or visual hallucinations, delusional thinking, agitation, social withdrawal, disorganized speech and thought patterns, flattened affect (no feeling) and bizarre physical postures and/or catatonia (remaining immobile for long periods). To meet the diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia, two or more of these symptoms must be present for at least six months and not be a result of medical condition(s) or substance abuse or dependence, the American Psychiatric Association says. The APA describes six mutations or types of schizophrenia that delineate the diagnosis and inform a patient's treatment plan.
Paranoia
This type of schizophrenia involves delusions and hallucinations that are generally focused on persecution or potential threats and harm to the patient. These frightening symptoms are more prominent than any of the other symptoms for the person with this type.
Disorganization
The most obvious symptoms for this type of schizophrenia are disorganized or disjointed thought and speech patterns, random or disorganized physical behaviors and flattened affect. This form of schizophrenia is often accompanied by "word salad," a speech pattern in which there is no discernible vocal communication from the person, only jumbled and unrelated words and phrases.
Catatonic State
A person with this form of schizophrenia remains immobile or appears to be in a stupor; may exhibit random purposeless physical movements; may be mute; may demonstrate unintended resistance to directions; may maintain a rigid body position even with attempts by others to move him, and may take on bizarre postures or movements and/or demonstrate echolalia or echopraxia, which are involuntary repetitions of others' words or physical behaviors (respectively). Two of these symptoms must be present for a person to be diagnosed with this type of schizophrenia.
Undifferentiated
This form of schizophrenia describes a person who demonstrates the general symptoms of schizophrenia without clearly falling into either paranoid, disorganized or catatonic diagnostic categories.
Residual
The type of schizophrenia is residual when only two of the acute symptoms (such as delusions or hallucinations) are present, or the person demonstrates lesser forms of symptoms such as unusual perceptions instead of hallucinations.
Schizophreniform Disorder
Although not a type of schizophrenia, schizophreniform disorder occurs when a person meets the diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia but has only exhibited symptoms for less than six months. It's essentially an early schizophrenia diagnosis. It's further described by the diagnostic specifiers of "with good prognostic features"--in which the treating mental health provider expects a return to normal functioning--or "without good prognostic features," when the provider expects the person's condition to worsen and continue.
References
- American Psychiatric Association (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed, text revision. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Assocation
- U.S. National Institute of Mental Health - Schizophrenia Information
