Schizophrenia is a mental illness characterized by disturbances in mood, behavior and thinking (psychosis). The thinking disturbance shows up as a distortion of reality, sometimes with delusions and hallucinations, and fragmented thinking that results in disturbances of speech. The mood disturbance includes ambivalence and inappropriate or constricted display of emotions. The behavior disturbance may show up as apathetic withdrawal or bizarre activity. Schizophrenia is NOT the same thing as ‘split or multiple personalities’ which is Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID).
TYPES OF SCHIZOPHRENIA
DISORGANIZED Characterized by wild or silly behavior or mannerisms, inappropriate display of emotions, frequent hypochondriacal complaints and delusions and hallucinations that are transient and unorganized.
CATATONIC Typically a state of stupor, usually characterized by muscular rigidity, resistance to movement or opposite behavior to what is being asked. Occasionally catatonic excitement occurs which is excited, uncontrollable motor activity.
PARANOID Characterized by unwarranted suspicion and thinking that others have evil motives, and/or an exaggerated sense of self-importance (delusions of grandeur).
UNDIFFERENTIATED Psychotic symptoms are prominent but do not fall into any other subtype.
RESIDUAL No longer psychotic but still shows some symptoms of the disorder.
Typically, schizophrenia is treated with antipsychotic medications. When the older medications such as Mellaril, Prolizin, Trilafon and Thorazine are used for an extended period of time a sometimes-permanent condition called tardive dyskinesia can result. Symptoms may include involuntary movements of face, mouth, tongue or limbs. Stopping the medication may cause the symptoms to disappear in some but not all. Medications can treat the side effects but not the tardive dyskinesia.
There is a new generation of antipsychotic medications which have very little risk of tardive dyskinesia including Seroquel, Zyprexa, Risperdal and Clozaril.