positive and negative symptoms Flashcards
what are the positive symptoms of schizophrenia?
hallucinations
delusions
disorganised speech
what are hallucinations?
bizzare, unreal PERCEPTIONS of the environment
auditory(hearing voices)
visual( seeing lights, objects, faces other ppl cant see)
olfactory( smelling things that others cant)
tactile( feeling things on skin)
many schizophrenics report hearing a voice or several voices telling them to do something e.g harm themselves or others or commenting on their behaviour
what are the types of hallucinations
auditory - hearing voices
visual-seeing lights/objects/faces that others cant see
olfactory- smelling things that others cant
tactile- feeling that something is touching skin e.g bugs
what are delusions?
bizzare untrue BELIEFS that seem real to the person with schizophrenia but they aren’t real
sometimes they can be paranoid- belief that theyre being followed or spied on
may belive phone is tapped or video cameras hidden in home
delusions can be INFLATED BELIEFS- belive they are famous or superpowers
can experience delusions of REFERENCE- events in environment seem directly related to them e.g special personal messages are being communicated through TV
what is disorganised speech?
result of abnormal thought processes where the individual has problems organising their own thoughts and this is shown through their speech
DERAILMENT- may slip from one topic to another even mid sentence
speech may be incoherent that it sounds like gibberish - refered to as word salad
what are negative symptoms of schizophrenia?
Alogia ( speech poverty)
avolition
affective flattening
grossly disorganised behaviour
catatonic behaviour
what is alogia?
lessening of speech fluency and productivity this could be a reflection of slowing or blocked thoughts
may produce fewer words in a given time on a task of verbal fluency due to difficulty of spontaneously producing words
speech poverty can also be shown as less complex syntax e.g fewer clauses, shorter sentences this type of speech appears to be associated with long illness and earlier onset
what is avolition
a reduction of interests and desires and an inability to initiate and persist in goal directed behaviour e.g sitting in house for hours and doing nothing
avolition is a reduction is self initiated involvement in activities that ARE available to them
it isnt the same as not speaking to family members because they have none bevause they havent chosen to not have contact
what is affective flattening?
a reduction in the range and intensity of emotional expression , voice tone, eye contact and body language
compared to control groups of people without this symptom, individuals show fewer body and facial movements and smiles
may also show a DEFICIT IN PROSODY ( e.g tempo, loudness and pausing)
what is grossly disorganised behaviour?
inability or motivation to initiate a task or to complete it once a task has been started which leads to dofficulties in daily living anf can result in decreased personal hygeine
may dress in a way that seems bizzare to others e.g wearing heavy clothes in summer
what is catatonic behaviour?
reduced reaction to the environment
rigid postures or aimless motor activity
