Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia

There are two categories of symptoms. Positive symptoms, all called type I symptoms, are characterized by the presence of unusual perceptions, thoughts, or behaviours. Positive refers to the fact that these symptoms represent very salient experiences. In contrast, Negative  symptoms, or type II symptoms, represent losses or deficits in certain domain. They involve the absence of behaviors, rather than the presence of behaviors.

1) Positive Symptoms

The positive symptoms of schizophrenia include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thought and speech, and disorganized or catatonic behavior.

Delusions

Delusions are ideas that an individual believes are true but are highly unlikely and often simply impossible. Of course, most people occasionally hold beliefs that are likely to be wrong, such as the belief that the will win the lottery. These kinds of self-deceptions differ from delusions in at least three ways.

Hallucinations

Have you ever had a strange perceptual experience, such as thinking you saw someone when no one was near, thinking you heard a voice talking to you, or feeling as though your body were floating through the air? If so, you are not alone.

Disorganized Thought and Speech

The disorganized thinking of people with schizophrenia is often referred to as a formal thought disorder. One of the most common forms of disorganization in schizophrenia is a tendency to slip from one topic to a seemingly unrelated topic with little coherent transition, often referred to as the loosening of associations, or derailment.

Disorganized or Catatonic Behavior

The disorganized behavior of people with schizophrenia is often what leads others to be afraid of them. People with schizophrenia may display unpredictable and apparently untriggered agitation, suddenly shouting, swearing, or pacing rapidly up and down the street. They may engage in socially disapproved of behavior, such as public masturbation. Many are disheveled and dirty, sometimes wearing few clothes on a cold day or heavy clothes on a very hot day. Short of these more bizarre behaviors, persons with schizophrenia often have trouble organizing their daily routines to ensure that they bathe, dress properly, and eat regularly.

2) Negative Symptoms

The negative symptoms of schizophrenia, or type II symptoms, involve loses or deficits, in certain domains. The negative symptoms of schizophrenia represent the absence of usual emotional and behavioral responses.

Affective Flattening
Affective flattening is a severe reduction, or even the complete absence, of affective responses to the environment. Often, this is also referred to as blunted affect. The person's face may remain immobile most ot the time, no matter what happens, and his or her body language may be unresponsive to what is going on in the environment.

Alogia
Alogia, or poverty of speech, is a reduction in speaking. They person may not initiate speech with others and, when asked direct questions, may give brief, empty replies. The person's lack of speech presumably reflects a lack of thinking, although it may be caused in  part by a lack of motivation to speak.

Avolition
Avolition is an inability to persist at common, goal-directed activities, including those at work, school, and home. The person has great trouble completing tasks and is disorganized and careless, apparently completely unmotived.