Understanding Paranoid Type Schizophrenia

Paranoid type schizophrenia is the most common schizophrenia subtype, affecting about 80% of all schizophrenics. Individuals with this type of brain disorder often come across as intelligent or competent when they're not having a psychotic episode. Catatonic symptoms, speech disturbances, inappropriate emotional responses, poor memory and difficulty making decisions are not prominent symptoms of this type. Instead, many paranoid schizophrenics have delusions that they are on a special mission or that they are being persecuted. Hallucinatory voices may threaten, give commands or laugh at the patient. Patients may get suddenly angry, fearful or suspicious for seemingly no real reason at all.

To diagnose a person with paranoid-type schizophrenia, a mental health professional will ask questions about symptoms and family history. He or she will look for delusions, hallucinatory voices and paranoia as the defining factors, with less emphasis on flattened emotions, memory problems, speech disturbances and impaired decision making. Doctors will look to distinguish these thought disorders from drug-induced psychosis and epilepsy. Usually it takes one to six months to officially make a diagnosis. Sometimes patients suffer acute psychotic attacks and enter into periods of remission.

Paranoid type schizophrenia is different than the other schizophrenia subtypes. For example, patients with catatonic-type schizophrenia may sit in a corner, staring, without speaking for days on end. Paranoid schizophrenics, on the other hand, are usually more anxious, with lots to say about conspiracies against them and the "special missions" they must carry out. Patients with disorganized-type schizophrenia usually have trouble bathing themselves, brushing their teeth, communicating effectively and expressing appropriate emotions. On the other hand, paranoid schizophrenics appear otherwise normal but explode with sudden eccentric words or behaviors.  

Treating paranoid type schizophrenia is challenging because the vast majority of patients do not believe they are ill. Often, after taking anti-psychotic medications for six to nine months, patients will suddenly start understanding paranoid schizophrenia and what it means to have the condition. Frequently, people have stopped taking their medication because they "feel better" or they miss their "old selves." Yet if patients stick with treatment, they have a good chance of being able to live independently, finish school, work and maintain relationships. However, there are some side effects with treatments, including a heightened risk of diabetes, weight gain, high cholesterol and cancer.

Related topics about paranoid type schizophrenia
Treating Schizophrenia Takes Commitment
Several factors seem to influence the prognosis for treating schizophrenia. For instance, a family history of schizophrenia may make it more difficult for an individual to recover, especially if others in the house are not receiving treatment for their thought disorders. Generally, patients who see a sudden onset (as opposed to a gradual one) fare better in recovery, as do patients who are older.

Making a Schizophrenia Diagnosis
Unfortunately, obtaining a schizophrenia diagnosis is not as easy as running a quick blood test or pushing the patient through a brain scanner. While researchers are running clinical trials on tests like that, the current reality is that they are only able to define paranoid schizophrenia through its signs and symptoms. The causes of this debilitating disorder that affects 1% of the American population, are poorly understood but given proper medication and psychiatric therapy, an individual can live independently and successfully.

Signs and Causes of Paranoid Schizophrenia
While genetics undoubtedly play a part in the signs and causes of paranoid schizophrenia, researchers believe that there are a myriad of factors to explain why some family members may have a paranoid personality, while others do not. This year, an international team of scientists from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research and the University of Edinburgh found that 4% of bipolar patients and 2% of schizophrenics showed a break in their DNA -- the ABCA-13 gene, specifically. This gene, located in the hippocampus memory center and cortex of the brain, could be part of the puzzle when it comes to unraveling a disorder that may be caused by hundreds of thousands of genes.