Schizophrenia is a very serious disorder within the brain. It is a disease that makes it hard for a person to tell the difference between a situation that is real, or unreal. It makes it difficult to think logically, to give normal emotional responses, and to behave normally in situations where others are involved (http://health.yahoo.com/centers/personality/000928.html).
Schizophrenia is an extremely difficult illness to understand completely. Experts on it aren't even sure what causes it. It can be somewhat genetic, as people who have others in the family with the disorder seem to be more susceptible to it, themselves. Problems at birth, or social factors may also play a role in the development of schizophrenia in a person.
There are five different types of schizophrenia. These consist of: Catatonic, Disorganized, Paranoid, Residual, and Undifferentiated schizophrenia (http://www.psychnet-uk.com/clinical_psychology/clinical_psychology_schizophrenia2_types.htm).
To diagnose someone as having schizophrenia, there are some basic criteria that they must meet.
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English: Risperdal (United Kingdom packaging)Delusions, and hallucinations only require one symptom, if it is bizarre enough. Reduced speech, or speech that shows incoherence is also a factor. Usually, the individual often has violent mood swings, and sudden distrust in others.
The Paranoid type meets all of the basic criteria for Schizophrenia, and often has hallucinations, or delusions. The Disorganized type has sketchy behavior, and speech that is often difficult to comprehend. The Catatonic type seems very flexible, almost as if not able to stand up straight on their own. They often become extremely hyper for no apparent reason, and strange behavior directed towards others, such as thinking everyone is talking about them, behind their back. The Undifferentiated type only meets the basic criteria for Schizophrenia. This is the mildest case of the illness. People diagnosed with the Residual type of Schizophrenia once met the criteria for any of the other types. However, they...