Unlike other disorders one is born with, often times the symptoms of schizophrenia do not surface until late adolescence or early adulthood. Many psychologists surmise that genetics and a history of mental illness can lead to a predisposition for some patients, while others fall into the symptoms as a result of chronic substance abuse. For instance, Methamphetamines (Coke, Crystal Meth and PCP) and even Nicotine are often pointed to as potential contributors. However, there are many cases that simply cannot be explained, but are traced to an overload of Dopamine, which is a naturally occurring chemical in the brain that influences sleeping, dreams and emotions.

There are five different types of schizophrenia, according to schizophrenia research, and the symptoms vary. The first type and the most common is paranoid schizophrenia. The paranoid schizophrenic suffers bizarre delusions and sometimes auditory hallucinations. For instance, the patient may believe that the government is spying on them, that people on television or animals are talking to them, or that someone is trying to deliberately hurt them. Often, paranoid schizophrenics also suffer an accompanying anxiety disorder that causes heightened fear, nervous twitches and displeasure. Other patients have delusions of grandeur, and believe they are a great inventor or a celebrity.

Disorganized schizophrenia, which is the second type, is characterized by disrupted and abnormal speech patterns. Many patients often stop speaking mid-sentence and trail off, change the subject or repeat clauses over and over again. In severe cases, the person may only speak in rhyme or will use completely made-up words, speaking in absolute gibberish. The sufferer may exhibit some of all of these symptoms of schizophrenia for this type.

The third type is called catatonic schizophrenia, which is the stereotypical view of a person rocking back and forth in a strait jacket, staring vapidly — sometimes rambling incessantly, or at other times being completely mute. The symptoms of this type may include making jerky, bizarre movements, with arms and legs flailing about for no reason. The catatonic schizophrenic is incapable of caring for him or herself and is characterized as having a very severe mental illness.

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