Schizophrenia is a chronic brain disorder that alters perception, thoughts, feelings, and behavior. Symptoms are divided into positive and negative categories.
Positive Symptoms (Excess/Distortion)
- Hallucinations: Sensory perceptions without external stimuli (Auditory is most common in schizophrenia).
- Delusions: Fixed, false beliefs not grounded in reality.
- Disorganized Speech: Loose associations, word salad, neologisms.
- Disorganized Behavior: Catatonic states, agitation.
Negative Symptoms (Deficit/Loss)
- Flat/Blunted Affect: Diminished emotional expression.
- Alogia: Poverty of speech.
- Avolition: Lack of goal-directed motivation.
- Anhedonia: Inability to experience pleasure.
- Asociality: Social withdrawal.
