Schizophrenia is a chronic disorder with symptoms that are classified as either positive or negative. Schizophrenia symptoms normally start appearing when an individual is an adolescent, but early signs develop during childhood. The positive symptoms are associated with the behavior and thoughts of the individual. They include delusions, hallucinations, thought disorders or confusion, and strange behavioral changes. Firstly, the delusions experienced make an individual behave very differently than usual. It makes one try delusional ideas to prove the worth of their actions. A person experiencing delusional thoughts believes in hidden messages in normal occurrences and gives meanings that are not in existence. Schizophrenic individuals tend to believe that something is happening to them, like someone following them or watching them.
Secondly, hallucination is a common positive symptom among schizophrenia patients. The most shared hallucination is an auditory hallucination, where they tend to hear voices talking to them. The voices can either be friendly or abusive, making them behave differently. Thirdly, behavioral change in an individual with Schizophrenia is experienced frequently. They tend to believe in forces taking control over them and therefore require them to behave in a particular manner. Lastly, the thought disorder is portrayed by schizophrenia patients through their disorganized thinking ways. An individual normally behaves unusually, either through writing or speaking. With thought disorder, an individual has difficulty sustaining focus and concentration, thereby evaluating situations logically.
Negative schizophrenia symptoms are labeled negative because they describe the behavior of individuals that they used to have. They exhibit less of the qualities they used to have or almost none. The negative symptoms are apathy, absent emotional response, speech reduction, and social withdrawal. Firstly, with apathy, the person loses interest in previously important people and stops looking at their hygiene and appearance. Secondly, absent emotional responses are displayed when the person cannot react appropriately to the good or bad news. For example, a person tends to be happy with sad news and sad with good news.
Thirdly, a reduction in speech is experienced as schizophrenia patients experience reduced conversation. Vital communication skills are lost, making them unable to communicate effectively. Lastly, social withdrawal is portrayed when an individual loses interest in the surrounding world and prefers spending time alone. In conclusion, positive schizophrenia symptoms are associated with individual behavior and thoughts. They include delusions, hallucinations, thought disorders, and strange behavioral changes. The negative schizophrenia symptoms are associated with the behavior that individuals used to have. These symptoms include apathy, absent emotional response, speech reduction, and social withdrawal.
