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There are four subtypes of schizophrenia currently recognised by psychologists, one of these being a category for those who are clearly schizophrenic but do not fit into the other categories.

Paranoid type is characterised by delusions of persecution, and of grandeur. Sufferers believe that the world is out to get them and they may become suspicious of loved ones. They believe that they are always being watched and are being manipulated. To explain these delusions, they develop delusions of grandeur; surely if so many are against them they must be famous and or important.

Catatonic type involves distinctive motor disturbances. These can range from random muscle activity to rigidness. Some sufferers can go into a catatonic stupor; an extreme form of withdrawal where they seem oblivious to their environment and may remain utterly motionless. At the other end of the spectrum, some go into a state of catatonic excitement. Patients in this state are hyperactive and incoherent.

Disorganised type is characterised by an extremely severe decline in adaptive behaviours. Patients display emotional indifference, are often incoherent and social withdrawal is profound. They may babble or giggle without cause and their delusions focus on their body, for example they may believe that their brain is melting and coming out of their ears.

Undifferentiated type is the fourth category into with people who are clearly schizophrenic but cannot be diagnosed as any of the other types are placed. This type involves a mixture of symptoms from the categories, and is fairly common.

There has been criticism of the sub typing method of diagnosis as the catatonic type is becoming increasingly rare and that the last category is more leftovers than category.

The idea of positive and negative symptoms has been suggested to combat this. The words positive and negative do not in this case refer to good and bad. Positive symptoms of schizophrenia are additions or excesses to normal behaviour and include hallucinations and emotional overreaction. Negative symptoms on the other hand involve losses and deficits to normal behaviour and include social withdrawal and flatness of affect. According to this theory, patients would be classed as one or the other based on whether they showed predominantly negative or predominantly positive symptoms.

However, this has problems of it’s own as patients usually possess both positive and negative symptoms varying only in degree to which positive or negative symptoms dominate.

Although the distinction between positive and negative symptoms is useful it cannot replace sub typing. A better understanding of patients can perhaps be gained by combining the two outlooks together.


Information referenced from;

Weiten, W. (2007). Themes and Variations (7th edition) social behaviour (pp.656 - 659.) Thompson Learning Inc.

Salome's aquaintences

Annabelle - Salome’s best friend. She doesn’t actually exist, but Salome doesn’t know that so it’s probably alright.
Elsie - Salome likes this mare; she was kind to her and told her a story. She hopes to see her again some day.
The Triplets - Salome likes two of them and is wary of the third. Their names confused her a little however and she can't remember what they were all called; she does remember however that they all had 'Xeno' at the start and that one was a girl's name.
Eira, Morthan and Naveen - Salome likes these three, and the adults' four foals. She hopes to get to see them all again at some point.
Aïdoneus - Salomé likes this stallion, and is very grateful for being so helpful when she first arrived in the land of the chosen, as she calls the Hellene territories.
Diego - Salomé is neutral towards Diego; she has been convinced that he’s on the good side, but she’s aware that he doesn’t like her, and so she plans to avoid him in future.
Spyke - Salomé likes Spyke, but is aware that he probably doesn’t like her given she beat him up when she thought he was siding with a demon. She’s a little sad that she won’t get the chance to talk to him much anymore, as she wanted to ask him about the moons.
Ignatius Salomé likes this strange Reya and also thinks he’s a very good person for not becoming a demon like (she believes) his mother was. She counts him as a close friend.
Sanue Salomé likes this Jala, but remains cautious of him until she can affirm with Ignatius that he isn't a demon.

Miscellaneous

The tenth day

I’ve found out that other things are different about me now. A grownup with leather wings wouldn’t let me talk to her children because she said I was a crossbreed. I asked her what that meant and she explained it to me. There are five true and good kins in our world; the Bae with wings like a butterfly, the Jala with wings like a bird, the Aeri with leather wings, the Reya with a curving horn leather wings and many muscled tails and finally the Ichsa with tendril wings and a long straight horn.

I’m not any of those, though I suppose I must be a mix of Reya and Jala from what I’ve heard. I don’t think I’m even right for that though; my horn has too many spikes on it for a normal Reya’s and my tails have sharp tips that cut me when I try to swat a fly away.

The Aeri mare made me go away after that and I haven’t been able to make any friends for very long. As soon as parents see me they make me leave. They almost seem to think that I’m not just wrong but dangerous too. They think I’m going to hurt their foals but I’m not. It’s not easy being a crossbreed, I suppose. Maybe I’ll meet more like me someday and then I can be friends with them and we won’t care what anyone else says.

Not quite sure anymore

I’ve arrived in D’ob but I’m not sure I like it here. Everybody stares at me and everybody pushes me away from them. I think they can hear me, hear me think and it makes them angry. They want to hurt me because they don’t like that I’m thinking about being friends with their little ones and eating the nice things they’re eating. I’ll have to think very quietly so they don’t hear me and don’t get angry with me.

The day I found out more about Anna

I’ve talked to Annabelle a lot today and decided to call her Anna most of the time. Best of all the things I’ve found out about her is that she’s even more like me than I thought! She agrees that people can probably see into my head and tells me they can hers too but more than mine so she can’t be around other people and has to leave when they arrive because they’d hurt her.

I don’t mind, she’s promised she’ll always come back when we’re alone again. I love Annabelle; she’s like my sister and we’re always going to be friends for ever and ever and ever.