Question

Explain the positive symptoms of schizophrenia.

1. Hallucinations
2. Delusions
3. Disorganized speech
4. Incongruent affect

Answer 1

Schizophrenia: The term "Schizophrenia" is derived from the Greek words Schizein (to split) and Phren (to be split) (mind). Swiss psychologist Paul Eugene Bleular coined the phrase in 1911. In the mind, the literal meaning of the word 'Schizophrenia' is split. It is a psychotic condition.

According to the DSM-5, there are two types of schizophrenia symptoms.

1. Positive symptoms
2. Negative symptoms

The positive symptoms of schizophrenia:

These behaviours are an excess of an addition to the normal thoughts or behaviours of an individual. It includes:

1. Hallucinations: Hallucination is false perceptions in the absence of a stimulus. It can be auditory, visual, tactile, olfactory, or gustatory or may be related to internal sensations of the body.
2. Delusions: Delusion occurs when an individual has a belief that is false but he is not ready to change it in spite of clear contrary evidence.
3. Disorganised speech and loosening of association: A person’s talk is unrelated, i.e., he may use useless words or may jump from one point to another which has no connection to the first.
4. Disorganised behaviour (Bizarre movements): A person behaves in a very strange manner, i.e. doing the same act for hours together, screaming without reason, running here and there without purpose, attacking or biting someone, undressing clothes in public places, etc.
5. Incongruent affect: Emotions expressed by a person do not match the situation. e.g. he cries on happy occasions and laughs on sad occasions.