Topic: Anxiety and Depressive Psychosis and schizophrenia
Question: Describe the various symptoms of schizophrenia in detail.
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Positive Symptoms:
– Hallucinations – Seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting or smelling things that are not real. Auditory hallucinations of hearing voices are most common.
– Delusions – Fixed, false beliefs not based in reality. Common delusions include paranoia, grandiosity, reference (feeling external events have personal meaning), control (feeling controlled by outside forces).
– Disorganized thinking – Incoherent speech patterns, jumping between topics, making up words. Patients may talk in a bizarre or incomprehensible manner.
– Disorganized behavior – Difficulty with activities of daily living, inappropriate behaviors like laughter at sad events, lack of inhibition.
Negative Symptoms:
– Avolition – Lack of motivation, inability to follow through with plans, social withdrawal. Patients may neglect self-care.
– Alogia – Reduced speech output. Short, empty replies to questions. Conversations are difficult.
– Anhedonia – Decreased ability to experience pleasure. Lack of interest in hobbies, social activities.
– Blunted affect – Reduced expression of emotions via facial expressions, voices tone, gestures. Patient may seem detached.
– Asociality – Lack of interest in social interactions. Patient demonstrates poor social skills.
Cognitive Symptoms:
– Poor concentration, attention, memory
– Disorganized thinking and behavior
– Difficulty with information processing and using information
– Trouble with complex executive functions like planning, problem-solving
