Question

What are the positive, negative, and psychomotor symptoms of schizophrenia? pp. 365-369

Short answer

The positive symptoms of schizophrenia include hallucinations, delusions, thought disorders, and movement disorders, while the negative symptoms include reduction or absence of normal behaviors or emotions like lack of pleasure in daily life, reduced speaking, inability to plan and perform activities and neglecting personal hygiene. Psychomotor symptoms refer to unusual physical movements, which can range from being extremely active to a significant decrease in activity.

Step-by-step solution

Understanding the Disease

Before we get into the details of symptoms, let's first understand schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves. This exercise doesn't require a computation but an explanation based on the text provided in pages 365-369.

Positive Symptoms

Positive symptoms include aspects that are added to the person’s personality. These are the most visible signs of the disease like hallucinations, delusions, thought disorders, and movement disorders. Hallucinations mean the person sees, hears, smells, or feels things that aren't there. Delusions refer to false beliefs not based in reality.

Negative Symptoms

Negative symptoms involve aspects that are taken away from the person’s personality or are the abilities they've lost. They include lack of pleasure in everyday life, lack of ability to begin and sustain planned activities, reduced speaking, and neglecting personal hygiene.

Psychomotor Symptoms

Psychomotor symptoms relate to physical movement and behavior. These can range from hyperactivity (agitated movements) to hypoactivity (no movement or speech).

Key concepts

Positive Symptoms of Schizophrenia

Positive symptoms of schizophrenia are noticeable because they represent a change or "addition" to an individual's usual behavior or personality. These symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, thought disorders, and movement disorders.

- **Hallucinations** are experiences where a person perceives something that isn't present in reality, such as hearing voices or seeing things that do not exist. This can disrupt a person’s normal waking interactions.
- **Delusions** are firmly held erroneous beliefs that are contrary to reality and are resistant to rational argument. For instance, a person may believe they have superpowers or are being persecuted by someone.

These symptoms are what draw the most attention, and they can be quite distressing both to the individual and those around them. Understanding these high-intensity symptoms can help in knowing why a person with schizophrenia might behave in certain confusing or alarming ways.

Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia

Negative symptoms depict a reduction or loss in the ability to maintain normal experiences and activities. These symptoms can detract from the individual's daily functioning and overall quality of life.

- **Affective flattening** refers to a limited ability to express emotions or respond emotionally to situations. This can make the person seem emotionally flat or indifferent.
- **Avolition** involves the difficulty in initiating and maintaining goal-directed activities, such as working or even doing daily tasks. It can lead to neglect of personal hygiene and social withdrawal.

Negative symptoms are less obvious than positive symptoms but can be equally impairing because they represent "lacking" aspects of behavior. They make interactions hard because they might be mistaken for laziness or unwillingness.

Psychomotor Symptoms of Schizophrenia

Psychomotor symptoms revolve around disturbances in physical movement or behavior. These disturbances can manifest in two main ways:

- **Catatonia**: This includes a spectrum of disorders ranging from an inability to move or speak (catatonic stupor) to excessive or peculiar movements (catatonic excitement). Sometimes, a person may hold a rigid pose for an extended period and show little to no response to their surroundings.
- **Agitation**: This is often shown through restless movements, pacing or fidgeting, which can sometimes lead to frustration or further physical activities.

Psychomotor symptoms can be confusing because they mix physical and psychological barriers, making it harder for those affected to control their body movements. Recognizing these signs is crucial for observation and treatment plans.