Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder marked by prolonged
disturbances in thought, emotion and behaviour. Symptoms are
categorised as either positive or negative.
- Positive symptoms are experiences that occur in addition to, or
are an exaggeration of normal experiences. These include auditory
hallucinations and delusions such as paranoid delusions where the
person believes they are being watched or persecuted.
- Negative symptoms reflect a loss or decrease in normal
functioning. These include apathy, a flat expression, anhedonia (an
inability to feel pleasure) and poverty of speech (brief and empty
replies to questions, which should not be confused with shyness or
a reluctance to talk).