The 5 types of Schizophrenia (causes and symptoms)

Schizophrenia is one of the most serious and shocking psychopathological disorders. Due to its severity and striking characteristics, it has starred in numerous investigations. Despite this, there is still much to know about this mental illness.

Faced with other mental disorders, schizophrenia is surrounded by a great stigma that generates a lot of suffering both in the patients themselves and in their respective families. Traditionally, schizophrenia has been linked to the classic idea of ​​insanity, since those who suffer from it are disconnected from reality, show strange and extravagant behaviors and are able to integrate normally.

It is one of the phenomena related to mental health that have been first described in history, although it has not been until It is only a few decades ago that the issues related to this disease have really begun to be clarified, about which there is still much to know. Although at the moment the puzzle has not been completed, certain pieces have already been gathered. In this article we will try to gather the most relevant information about the disease and we will talk about what subtypes exist.

What is schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia can be defined as a serious mental disorder in which the person interprets reality in a distorted way. Those who suffer from it live experiencing hallucinations and delusions of all kinds, as well as clearly disorganized thinking and behavior. Its impact on the normal functioning of the individual is very high and is potentially disabling.

It should be noted that schizophrenia falls within the so-called psychotic disorders and has a chronic course, therefore there is no curative treatment. In addition, those who suffer from schizophrenia do not have awareness of the disease, that is, they do not know that they have a psychopathological disorder. This fact further aggravates the suffering of the person, who experiences his symptoms from disconnection with reality.

Although in all cases we know that it is a chronic disease, the path that the disorder follows is different in each individual. However, the most common is that it settles insidiously over time, and can be confused with other psychological problems, such as depression, in its early stages. Generally, before the disease flares up in all its splendor, the person experiences the so-called prodromal symptoms.

These are subtle manifestations that something is wrong, although it is very rare that an accurate diagnosis can be made in these early stages. Normally, in these initial moments there appears a tendency to isolation, lower academic or work performance, lack of personal care, lack of interest in social relationships, etc.

What Causes Schizophrenia?

Regarding the origin of schizophrenia, various hypotheses have been developed. The most robust explanation in research indicates that this disease can be the result of a combination of biological and environmental factors. More specifically, it is believed that those who develop schizophrenia do so starting from a genetic predisposition to which an unfavorable prenatal environment is added.

Certain harmful factors in pregnancy could alter the neurodevelopment of the fetus, favoring the later onset of this disorder. What is known for sure is that schizophrenia is a condition that originates from multiple variables. Therefore, it is not feasible to speak of a single cause that explains it.

It is true that, if we have a family member with this diagnosis, our probability of developing the disease increases. However, it has been proven that in monozygotic twins (who share identical genetics), only one of the two siblings can develop schizophrenia. This means that, Although genes matter, they cannot explain the disorder on their own. Along with the aforementioned altered prenatal development, the weight of the sociocultural and family environment in the gestation of this psychopathological alteration has also been assessed.

In addition to family history and prenatal complications, another important risk factor is the use of psychoactive drugs during adolescence and early youth. Unlike the previous ones, this aspect can be avoided with correct prevention work. For example, providing psychoeducation on the consequences of drug use in those groups at higher risk.

What are the symptoms of schizophrenia?

With regard to symptoms, schizophrenia has positive and negative symptoms. This classification differentiates between those related to alterations that appear (positive) and those related to the loss of functions (negative).

Positive symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking. Regarding negatives, it is common to find affective flattening, lack of motivation and enjoyment of things and a reduction in verbal expression. At the affective level, patients with schizophrenia can also show difficulties. It is common for depressive symptoms to appear, especially after episodes in which the person has experienced very florid positive symptoms.

At the cognitive level, alterations related to reduced attention span, working memory and executive functions may also appear. The level of severity of the cognitive state depends on each person, although the neuropsychological profile may resemble that of a patient with dementia.

There is no doubt that The entire psychopathological picture described here generates an important deficit in the autonomy and performance of the person. Those who live with this disorder will find great difficulties in all areas of life: work, family, social, personal, etc. In the most severe cases, suicidal ideations and behaviors may appear. For this reason, it is essential that people with this disease can count on the supervision of family members and professionals who support them from the first moments of the disorder.

What is the treatment for schizophrenia?

Regarding treatment, the approach with psychotropic drugs is essential. These make it possible to control symptoms and avoid acute episodes and flare-ups. It is essential that patients take their medication continuously throughout life, as it is a chronic disease. In addition, an approach with psychological therapy can also be helpful. This can promote adherence to psychotropic drugs, increase the patient's social skills and provide support to their family environment.

It should be noted that, contrary to popular belief, patients with schizophrenia are not generally aggressive or dangerous. Following the appropriate pharmacological treatment and with good psychosocial support, they can lead a fairly normalized life.

What kinds of schizophrenia are there?

Now that we have drawn a definition of what schizophrenia is, it is time to talk about the types that exist, their symptoms and causes. However, it is important to indicate that, with the publication of the diagnostic manual of the American Psychiatric Society (DSM-5), it was decided to suppress the subtypes that had been collected in previous editions, considering them not very useful when taking clinical decisions. In any case, the use of these subtypes is still quite widespread and it is interesting to review them:

1. Paranoid

It is the most widespread type, usually beginning between the ages of twenty and thirty. In this type of schizophrenia delusions and auditory hallucinations predominate. The central symptoms are psychic, with no motor or linguistic alterations being observed.

Delusions constitute a set of beliefs that the person lives with total conviction, despite the lack of evidence to support them. When a person is delirious, his reasoning and way of acting are not logical and can generate great alterations in his daily life. Among the most frequent types of delusions are persecutory (believing that one is being persecuted) and that of greatness (believing that one is or has done something extremely important).

Auditory hallucinations generally consist of voices that the person hears in their head. They can address him in the second or third person, criticize what he does, threaten, give orders, etc. The person ends up being She is a slave to these messages and her behavior is conditioned by what those voices convey to her. In addition to all the aforementioned, people suffering from this type of schizophrenia can adopt self-injurious behaviors or carry out aggressions towards other people, especially if treatment is not followed.

2. Disorganized

As its name suggests, this type of schizophrenia refers to one in which there is incoherence and disorder in behavior, the person's thoughts and emotions. It is the manifestation of the most chaotic disease, since the behavior does not follow a clear common thread and that makes the way in which the person behaves very unpredictable.

3. Catatonic

Unlike the paranoid subtype, catatonic schizophrenia is characterized by manifesting psychomotor symptoms. Fundamentally, the patient shows muscular rigidity and tension, atypical postures, and absence of language. In general, he is totally expressionless, staring and lacking any trace of emotion in his expression.

4. Residual

This type is something particular, since it has to do with the progression of the disorder over time rather than with its central characteristics. Despite being a clearly chronic disorder, in some patients the intensity of the symptoms varies and fortunately tends to become increasingly subtle. After periods of very marked positive symptoms, the person may stop experiencing hallucinations and delusions, leaving only those more discreet negative symptoms.

5. Undifferentiated

This category was created for those people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia who cannot be classified in any of the previous subtypes, because present a mixture of all the symptoms discussed so far.

Conclusions.

As we mentioned at the beginning, schizophrenia is among the most serious and complex psychopathological disorders to address. To the impact that the symptoms have on the person must be added the enormous stigma that surrounds this disease. The image that has been built of schizophrenic patients has been that of aggressive, dangerous, cold, evil and incapable of integrating into society.

In the media, all the news about schizophrenia speak of people with this disease who have harmed others. These situations, although real, do not represent all people with schizophrenia. Far from that stereotype, there are thousands of people who, thanks to the support of family, professionals and drug treatment, have been able to get ahead and lead a normal life.

In this sense, it is essential that there is more information available to the population about this and other mental disorders, since the basis of fear and rejection towards those who suffer them is ignorance. Similarly, knowing how to see the people behind the clinical labels is crucial. Often, many patients, especially those suffering from more severe diseases, merge with the disorder they suffer. That is, they have assimilated the message of "I am schizophrenic" instead of "I am Jorge and I suffer from schizophrenia."

Although schizophrenia currently lacks a cure, life can be made easier for these people by adopting an empathetic and respectful attitude towards them.