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There are several subtypes of schizophrenia, and individuals who suffer from this mental disorder may display different symptoms depending on which subtype of the condition that they fall under. The 5 main subtype categories for schizophrenia are:

• Paranoid
• Disorganized
• Catatonic
• Undifferentiated
• Residual

The symptoms experienced by an individual which lead to a diagnosis of schizophrenia may vary depending on the subtype involved at that moment. As time goes by the same individual may experience different symptoms or change subtypes depending on the progression of the disease and the effectiveness of, and the patient compliance with, the treatment plan that was developed. When a subtype of the disease is diagnosed it is based on the current symptoms and problems that the individual is experiencing. Over the life of the individual after being diagnosed they may be classified in different subtypes of schizophrenia as their symptoms change.

Some subtypes of schizophrenia have symptoms that involve disorganized or delusional thinking, some may involve auditory or visual hallucinations, and an undifferentiated subtype means that there is not enough information and data available to classify the condition in one of the 4 other subtypes of schizophrenia. With a residual diagnosis the individual is no longer displaying severe or even any symptoms of the mental disorder, however there is no cure and without continued treatment symptoms can return and become very severe. Any symptoms can return full force if medications and therapy are stopped. In many cases an individual with schizophrenia improves enough to think they no longer need treatment, but eventually their condition worsens again because treatment was stopped.