Disorganized schizophrenia, also known as hebephrenic schizophrenia,is defined by disorganized speech and behavior. It is one of the five types of schizophrenia and it may be the most life affecting type because it leaves the individual unable to take care of themselves.

The signs of this illness start showing from the ages of 15 - 25. There are a variety of symptoms that patients with this disorder show. First, they can have disorganized behavior. This includes the patient being unable to take care of themselves on a daily basis, causing them to need constant care. They cannot perform basic activities, like bathing, dressing, preparing meals. This kind of behavior ranges from acting like a child to being aggressive and violent. They are also found to be unmotivated. The individual will feel little to no motivation to completing tasks, resulting often in days where they have completed nothing.

Another symptom is disorganized thinking. The person with this type of schizophrenia will not be able to form logical or coherent thoughts which results in a difficulty speaking. The conversations will be filled with incomplete thoughts and multiple jumping from one subject to another. The speech problem may be so severe up to the point where the person is unintelligible. Furthermore, the person with this disorder may suffer from inappropriate or lack of facial expressions. Many individuals are incapable of feeling emotion which causes them to show very little facial expression. They may instead show inappropriate emotions such as laughing or smiling at a funeral. The patients may also experience social withdrawal where, due to being unable to feel the want and need to socialize with other people, will often be withdrawn and reclusive. Although hallucinations are common for schizophrenics, they are not prominent for disorganized schizophrenics.

Although there are myriad symptoms, there are also many different treatments available today to try to cure those with disorganized schizophrenia. First are the atypical atipsychotics. This is a group of antipsychotic drug that is used to treat psychiatric illnesses. It' s different than typical antipsychotics because it is less likely to cause a variety of side effects. However, typical antipsychotics may be prescribed in the case that the atypical treatment isn’t effective.

Another method of treatment is psychotherapy. Therapy is also important in order to help the individual deal with the illness. Therapists will assist the individual with identifying the things that make them feel positive or negative, which will help them better understand and cope with their schizophrenia.

As the research of schizophrenia becomes more advanced in the future, there is hope that we may discover new and more effective ways to treat psychotic illnesses like this one.

<Jennifer No West Ranch HS 11th grade>