Schizophrenia Symptoms

The symptoms of schizophrenia are usually classified as positive and negative symptoms.

Positive or more overtly psychotic symptoms include:

• Delusions - Beliefs that have no basis in reality. Delusions cause the patient to believe that people are reading their thoughts or plotting against them, that others are secretly monitoring and threatening them, or that they can control other people’s minds.
• Hallucinations - Hearing, seeing, feeling, smelling or tasting things that have no basis in reality
• Disorganized thought process
• Disorganized speech
• Disorganized behavior
• Catatonic behavior- People with schizophrenia sometimes have trouble communicating in coherent sentences or carrying on conversations with others; move more slowly, repeat rhythmic gestures or make movements such as walking in circles or pacing; and have difficulty making sense of everyday sights, sounds and feelings.

Negative or potentially less overtly psychotic symptoms include:

• Emotional flatness
• Lack of facial expressions
• Lack of speech - Speech is brief and lacks content.
• Lack of motivation - Inability to start and follow through with activities.
• Lack of pleasure or interest in life.