Types Of Schizophrenia And Their Characteristics

There are different types of schizophrenia. Until recently, this mental disorder was divided into subtypes. Now, there are five types of conditions differentiated according to the predominant features in each case.

However, there are differences in the way of interpreting reality: hallucinations, illusions and variations in behavior and thinking. This disease has a significant impact on the lives of the sick and the people around them.

When patients lose the ability to control their actions, they can become a social risk. In the lines below, we will discuss the different types of schizophrenia and their characteristics.

What is schizophrenia?

As mentioned above, this is a mental disorder that usually occurs around the age of 20. This is important because people confuse it with other pathologies. However, experts do not consider that people suffer from this condition if the symptoms appear during childhood or after the age of 45 years.

This disease affects emotions, behavior and the ability to think. Symptoms vary, but hallucinations are common – both auditory and visual.

A person with schizophrenia perceives things, such as voices or people, that no one else can hear or see. This symptom changes thinking, and people may speak in a confusing way that makes no sense.

Another common symptom is abnormal movement. For example, a person may move his arm excessively or adopt a strange posture for a certain period of time. As we will explain later, this movement disorder may be characteristic of certain types of schizophrenia.

Types of schizophrenia

According to an article published by the University of Salamanca, both the types of schizophrenia and the acceptance of the disorder itself are relatively recent notions. In ancient times, it was believed that people suffering from this disease were possessed by demons.

For this reason, it can be said that psychology has advanced significantly. Prior to the publication of the DSM-V (Handbook of Diagnosis and Statistics of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition), there were only five types of schizophrenia. We will list them below.

This is a type of schizophrenia that is easy to recognize. These people can sit for a long time without moving and without showing any expression on their face.

They are immobile, but their minds work at an accelerated pace, so fast that they disconnect from the outside and do not respond to stimuli.

Types of schizophrenia according to DSM-5

Today, the DSM-5 is the standard manual for diagnosing mental disorders. This tool shows many changes compared to previous editions in terms of types of schizophrenia. According to a study published in the Iberoamerican Journal of Psychosomatics, the elimination of subtypes is the main change. Specialists are now trying to determine the symptom that predominates at the beginning of the disease.

Thus, instead of listing the subtypes of schizophrenia, they clarify the symptoms of each, so that the psychologist or psychiatrist can more easily assess and treat the patient with this condition.

These types of schizophrenia are used as a classification

In short, there are five types of schizophrenia: paranoid, disorganized, catatonic, undifferentiated, and residual. Despite the fact that many experts have removed this classification, others continue to use it because it can be useful in determining treatment.

What you need to keep in mind is that any type of schizophrenia is serious and poses a high risk to the lives of patients and those in their environment. Therefore, seek the help of a specialist if you think that you or someone nearby may be affected by this mental illness.