The doctor says my brother has undifferentiated schizophrenia. What does this mean?

The undifferentiated subtype is diagnosed when individuals have symptoms of schizophrenia that are not clear or specific enough to permit classification of the mental disorder into one of the other subtypes. The symptoms may fluctuate at different points in time, resulting in confusion and uncertainty as to the correct subtype of schizophrenia. Other individuals may people exhibit symptoms that are remarkably stable over time but still not fit one of the typical subtype pictures. In either instance, diagnosis of the undifferentiated subtype may best describe the mixed clinical syndrome.

What is disorganized schizophrenia?

Another subtype is disorganized schizophrenia, which is also lifelong and has the worst prognosis. It is also known as hebephrenic schizophrenia. Disorganized schizophrenia is characterized by incoherent thoughts, bizarre behavior and illogical thinking. Individuals with disorganized schizophrenia are unable to carry out the simple daily living activities like dressing, eating or showering. Most of the individuals are difficult to understand. They do tend to get angry and lash out very easily because of frustration. The majority become institutionalized over time.

Which subtype of schizophrenia has the best prognosis?

Paranoid schizophrenia is one of several types of schizophrenia. Like all other types of schizophrenia, paranoid schizophrenia is also life long. The disorder has many features of paranoia. The typical clinical features of paranoid schizophrenia are having false beliefs (delusion) and hearing things that others cannot hear (auditory hallucinations).

Unlike other types of schizophrenia, the prognosis for paranoid type is better. Even though these individuals have disordered thoughts and abnormal thinking, they are better able to function in life than other subtypes of schizophrenia. Overall, individuals with paranoid schizophrenia generally tend to have more of the positive rather than the negative symptoms. These positive symptoms include presence of unusual persecutory thoughts and delusions. Unlike the other subtypes of schizophrenia, paranoid schizophrenics do not develop too many memory or concentration problems. However, it should be remembered that paranoid schizophrenia is still a serious long-term illness that has an increased risk of suicide.

Why is treatment of schizophrenia very difficult?

Because many medications used to treat schizophrenia affect the neurotransmitter, dopamine, some researchers believe that an alteration in this chemical may be a cause of schizophrenia. Because the cause(s) of schizophrenia is not known, the drug treatments have not been very effective or very specific. Most of the drug treatments for schizophrenia act as generalized brain depressants and affect many organ systems. Thus, side effects are very common. When schizophrenia is not treated, it can lead to numerous emotional, behavior and physical health problems, as well as a very poor quality of life. Many individuals end up with severe financial and legal problems because of their behavior.

Can you tell me what the major problem with schizophrenia is? My brother has it and we do understand what is happening?

One of the most misunderstood disorders in society is schizophrenia. While true estimates are lacking, it is believed that schizophrenia is present in 1/100 individuals. Schizophrenia often presents with a variety of mental symptoms including hallucinations, delusions and disordered thinking. Individuals who develop schizophrenia continue to get worse and over time are not able to take care of themselves. Despite what is widely believed, schizophrenia has nothing to do with multiple personalities. It is simply a disorder where one is not able to tell what is real and what is not. Individuals with schizophrenia generally do not harm others but only themselves. The paranoia can be so severe that most end up committing suicide. 

Despite intensive research, the disorder remains a puzzle and there is no ideal treatment. Schizophrenia has no cure and the only medications available only control the symptoms. No one really knows the cause of schizophrenia and this chronic disorder requires lifelong treatment.

Are there any risk factors for developing schizophrenia?

Even though the cause of schizophrenia is unknown, the risk factors for developing the disorder are well known. It is believed that schizophrenia is most likely to occur in individuals with a strong family history of mental disorders. Other risks include maternal exposure to any type of viral infection or toxin during pregnancy, presence of stress, older parents at birth and use of psychoactive drugs during adolescence. However, the majority of people who develop schizophrenia have none of the above risk factors. The disorder is a real mystery.

Does anyone know the cause of schizophrenia?

Over the years, many causes of schizophrenia have been speculated from abnormal genes, childhood stress, difficult parenting, head trauma, brain infections and chromosomal defects. However, in all cases the association to schizophrenia has been refuted upon close evaluation.

Despite numerous studies on the brain, the cause of schizophrenia remains a puzzle. In some individuals, an abnormal amount of the two neurotransmitters, dopamine and glutamate, have been postulated as chief causes of schizophrenia. Many radiological studies on the brains of patients with schizophrenia show some structure and functional difference. However, these changes are not consistent and not seen in all individuals with schizophrenia. Moreover, researchers are not able to understand the significance of imaging changes in the brain of schizophrenics.