If you or a loved one are newly diagnosed with schizophrenia, it's likely that you're scouring the internet trying to find schizophrenia articles to help you learn more about the diagnosis. While schizophrenia can be a scary diagnosis, it's highly treatable. Doing your research by reading schizophrenia articles is a smart move, as is talking with your healthcare provider about your mental health history. Bipolar schizophrenia is easily confused with one another in mental health. If your doctor previously diagnosed you with bipolar schizophrenia might be a better fit for your symptoms. When you see your health care professional after a schizophrenia diagnosis, they'll work with you to see if your symptoms fit into one of several schizophrenia types. While every case of schizophrenia is different, organizing your symptoms into a subtype can help your healthcare provider understand what treatments might be the best fit for you. This can reduce the amount of time it takes to find a treatment that helps you find relief from your schizophrenia symptoms.

Let's take a look at some of the different schizophrenia types.

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Residual schizophrenia - A mild form of schizophrenia, this form of the condition only encompasses negative symptoms and follows a psychotic episode.

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Simple schizophrenia - A step up from residual schizophrenia, this type of condition may form even without a prior psychotic episode. This typically begins with negative symptoms. Many people who have simple schizophrenia never experience positive symptoms, such as hallucinations and/ or delusions.

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Undifferentiated or unspecified schizophrenia - People who fall into this category may show both positive and negative symptoms, but may not fully fit into any schizophrenia types.

Catatonic schizophrenia - This type of condition is very rare. People who have catatonic schizophrenia only show negative symptoms, and often have very little speech. When they do speak, they often imitate the people around them.

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Disorganized schizophrenia - People who have this type of condition may experience short delusions and hallucinations. Since these positive symptoms do not last for long, it can be difficult to switch back and forth between experiencing hallucinations and delusions and dealing with reality. People who have this type of schizophrenia struggle to show appropriate emotions and may have a hard time controlling their tone of voice and facial expressions when they have conversations with others.

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Paranoid schizophrenia - This is the most common type of schizophrenia. People who are diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia are sometimes diagnosed later in life. This type of schizophrenia typically includes both positive and negative symptoms. People who have paranoid schizophrenia may have long-lasting delusions and hallucinations that make it difficult or even impossible to seek help on their own. While paranoid schizophrenia can be scary for both the person with the disorder and friends and family members, this condition is highly treatable.

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If you or a loved one are showing signs or symptoms of schizophrenia, it's vital to get help right away. It can feel scary to admit that you're struggling with a mental health issue, especially if you worry about what other people will think if you reach out for help. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness - it's a sign of strength. If you think that you may be struggling with schizophrenia, reach out to your healthcare provider today to set up an appointment and learn more about your treatment options. You don't have to go through this alone.