Question

Read through the examples below and identify the positive, negative, or cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia. Choose any 3 to answer. You must explain whether it is a positive/negative/cognitive symptoms and WHY it is positive/negative/cognitive. Elaborate on the type of symptom.

2. Alice does not smile or frown. It does not matter whether she hears a joke or receives bad news. In fact, it seems as if she has no feelings. Sometimes she will sit or stand in the same position for hours and hours and hours without shifting or moving in the slightest.

3. Thomas believes he is Jesus and so goes into the middle of downtown and stands on the town square and starts preaching out loud to the people passing by. He claims that he can cure the sick and help the disabled walk again. If he sees someone drinking he tells them they are going to hell and should come forward and ask for total forgiveness of their sins, which he alone can grant. He is unkempt, wearing multiple layers of clothes no matter the weather. When arrested for disturbing the peace, Thomas yells.

4. Priya receives a lot of junk mail from various organizations asking her to donate money. She believes that the mail is from the IRS and that the government is trying to get information and money from her. She is afraid that co-workers have injected her with something to keep her from telling the government the company secrets.

Answer 1

2. Alice's case of schizophrenia describes about the negative symptom of flat effect which is common to the patients. They are not able to express well or they seem emotionless. Being in a position for hours is due to rigidity or often called as catatonia. Patients can even take weird postures and remain there without eating, drinking and without feeling any muscle tension for long times.

3. Thomas is showing positive symptoms of this disorder. Here, he is being observed with having delusions of grandeur by associating him with a personality well known to people. Delusions are irrational beliefs about self or a situation or object. He wants to be treated that way and also starts believing he is actually the one and wants others to behave and react the same way.

4. Priya in this case is facing positive symptoms of delusions. Delusions are irrational beliefs about self or a situation or object. She is having delusion of persecuation where the patient starts to believe that they are being spying upon or someone is secretly keeping check on their actions and wants to destroy or sabotage their family or their career by keeping a check on their activities.