Positive Symptoms
Positive symptoms of schizophrenia are symptoms that seem to be excesses, that is, bizarre additions to normal thoughts, emotions, or behaviors. Individuals displaying these symptoms tend to have functioned relatively normally prior to the onset of schizophrenia. When their symptoms are in remission, their functioning tends to be good. Current thinking suggests that these symptoms are caused by neurochemical (the chemicals found in the brain) abnormalities rather than structural brain abnormalities. This group of symptoms includes:
Delusions: Delusions are ideas that the person believes wholeheartedly but have no basis in fact and are impervious to outside evidence. Some common types of delusions include:
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Persecution- the person feels that they are being plotted or discriminated against, spied on, slandered, threatened or deliberately victimized |
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Grandiosity- people who experience delusions of grandiosity believe themselves to be religious saviors, world leaders, or other people with power. |
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Reference- People with delusions of reference attach special and personal meaning to the actions of other people, or even to various objects or events. |
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Control- this delusion is similar to persecution. People with delusions of control feel that another person is controlling their thoughts and feelings. |
Hallucinations: Hallucinations, perceptions that occur without external stimuli, are another type of perceptual problem. Auditory hallucinations (voices and other sounds that seem to come from within one’s head, often giving commands or warnings of danger) (Mueser, Bellack and Brady, 1990). Auditory hallucinations are by far the most common type of hallucination observed in people with schizophrenia. Hallucinations can also take other forms, such as tactile (burning or tingling sensations), gustatory (food or drink taste strange), olfactory (smell odors that no one else smells), somatic (feel as if something is happening within the body), and visual (vague or distinct visions of people or objects that are not there).
Disorganized thinking and speech: Many people suffering from schizophrenia lose the ability to think in a logical way, and consequently their speech is peculiar. Often they tend to shift from one subject to another in quick succession with little or no logical connection between the two (Docherty, DeRosa and Andreasen, 1996). It is also common to use made up words that only have meaning to the speaker. Some people begin to speak only in rhymes, and others will repeat their words and statements again and again (Capleton, 1996).
Inappropriate affect: Another common symptom among people suffering from schizophrenia is the display of emotions unsuited to the situation. They may laugh when receiving bad news, or cry during a funny situation.