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There are 5 subtypes of schizophrenia, each characterized by the major symptoms that the patient experiences, including:

• Paranoid - the patient experiences auditory hallucinations, may hear a voice or multiple voices speaking to each other, or experiences delusions of grandeur or persecution. Since symptoms of this subtype tend emerge later in life when patients are already at a higher level of functioning (such as social, or vocational), their affect (emotional state), cognitive functioning, and social relationships may remain relatively intact.
• Catatonic - the patient exhibits a disturbance in movement to the point where voluntary movement may completely stop so the patient looks like they are in a catatonic stupor. The patient may maintain whatever posture they are in or allow others to change it and will maintain that position (waxy flexibility). Other patients may imitate sounds (echolalia) or movements (echopraxia), or explode into a state of repetitive, purposeless movements.
• Disorganized - the thought processes of the patient are disorganized resulting in significant impairment of activities of daily living such as dressing, brushing their teeth, bathing, or communicating with others. In addition, patients may experience cognitive and emotional impairment and may appear unstable since their emotional responses in certain situations may be inappropriate. Speech may be quite disorganized and they may lack a range of moods (flat affect). The behavior of patients with this subtype of schizophrenia is often eccentric and they may wear unusual clothing, make strange gestures, or generally behave oddly.
• Undifferentiated - these patients do not have the classic symptoms that meet the diagnosis of schizophrenia but are clearly mentally ill and may experience various forms of psychotic behavior. Symptoms may fluctuate among different subtypes or may remain stable but not fitting into any particular subtype.
• Residual - patients exhibit a diminished form of symptoms such as hallucinations or delusions, disorganization in their daily living, or cognitive dysfunction. This type of behavior follows a psychotic episode.

With the progression of the disease, the subtypes of schizophrenia can vary from year to year within the same patient. The subtype of schizophrenia is determined by the characteristics of symptoms the patient is experiencing at any point in time so that throughout the course of one's lifetime, they could be diagnosed with different subtypes of schizophrenia.

Schizoaffective Disorder is a chronic, disabling condition similar to schizophrenia. It is characterized by a combination of symptoms of schizophrenia (noted above) and affective mood disorder (major depression or a manic episode). It is considered to be a form of schizophrenia and, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, may account for up to 33% of all people with schizophrenia. This Medifocus Guidebook, however, focuses on Schizophrenia alone.