Whether you're struggling with your own mental health or are working in the arena of public health awareness, you may be curious about schizophrenia awareness. While many people know that schizophrenia exists, few people fully understand what the disease entails. Contrary to popular belief, people with schizophrenia are not crazy, and are highly responsive to therapy and medication. Let's take a look at what schizophrenia is, as well as the different types of schizophrenia currently recognized by mental health professionals.

One of the main goals of schizophrenia awareness is to educate the public on what schizophrenia is. Simply put, it's a mental health disease that affects a person's thoughts and the way they cope with stressors in their life. Schizophrenia does not mean that a person is crazy, has a split personality, or has multiple personalities. There are many different types of schizophrenia. Some people experience many symptoms of the disease, while others only experience a few. About one in 100 people will experience schizophrenia at some point in their lifetime. The disease normally becomes pronounced between late teens and early adulthood. Many people are going through the transition from living at home to university, or from university to the workplace, at this time, and schizophrenia symptoms are sometimes attributed to life stress. This can be dangerous, as it can lead to a person going for months or years without getting the mental health help they need to get well.

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Paranoid schizophrenia is the most common form of the disease. It may develop slightly later in life than other forms of schizophrenia. People who have this form of the disease often see or hear things that are not there, and may believe that someone is out to get them. This belief can make it hard to understand that a mental health issue is occurring, and can cause the person to be hesitant to reach out for help. Some people with paranoid schizophrenia also have speech and movement issues.

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Catatonic schizophrenia is the rarest form of the disease. People who have this form of schizophrenia may switch back and forth between rapid, intense movement, and periods of being almost completely still. They may also mimic the movement and speech patterns of others.

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Disorganized schizophrenia involves short periods of hallucination. Often, people who have this form of schizophrenia show inappropriate responses to social situations, such as laughing when something sad happens. Disorganized schizophrenia can cause people to struggle to speak clearly, and can cause changes in tone of voice and/ or mannerisms.

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For people who show symptoms of schizophrenia but do not fit into any specific category, there is a medical diagnosis of unspecified schizophrenia. People who fit into this category may only show a few symptoms or may show symptoms that match several different categories.

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The first step in increasing public health awareness of schizophrenia is to educate the public on the disease. Schizophrenia is not something to be feared - it's highly treatable. People who have schizophrenia and get the help they need can go on to live successful, productive lives.