Positive Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Positive Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Positive Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Positive symptoms appear in surplus in patients with Schizophrenia, and are not usually found in healthy individuals. In this instance, positive stands for “presence of” abnormal mental processes. Schizophrenia patients experience a wide range of symptoms, but positive symptoms are the most well known and are likely to cause a patient to lose touch with reality and seek help. Positive symptoms fall into two main categories: Hallucinations, (false perceptions); and Delusions (false beliefs).
Hallucinations
Hallucinations are false perceptions without corresponding external stimuli, for example: hearing a voice when no one is talking. Hallucinations are most commonly auditory, but can involve all five senses. Here are some examples of different types of hallucinations:
Auditory Hallucinations
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- Hearing Voices, (one or multiple) can be loud, murmured, whispered, demanding, reassuring or angry
- Hearing extra environmental sounds such as dogs barking, sirens, pots banging, helicopters overhead, sirens, etc.
Visual Hallucinations
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- Seeing people who are not physically present, (ie. strangers, friends and family, famous people, historical figures, or loved ones who are no longer living)
- Seeing objects, patterns or lights that are not visible to others
Olfactory and Gustatory Hallucinations
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- Smelling or tasting things that aren’t present for example believing that your food is poison because it smells or tastes horrible.
Tactile Hallucinations
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- Feeling hands on you, or insects crawling on your body
Delusions
Delusions are fixed false beliefs that can be bizarre and highly implausible that a patient can’t be talked out of–despite overwhelming contradictory evidence. Delusions are often vague and poorly formed and are the main reason a patient can lose touch with reality and experience a psychotic break. Delusions are extremely common in schizophrenia and occur in more than 90% of patients with the disorder. Here are examples of different types of delusions:
Persecutory or Paranoid Delusions
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- Thinking that one is being stalked, hunted or tricked. For example, believing that the FBI or aliens are after you.
Thought Withdrawal or Thought Insertion Delusions
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- Believing that someone can read your mind, (thought broadcasting), or that your thoughts are being planted from an outside force.
Referential Delusions
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- Thinking that mass media is communicating directly to you specifically through the TV, radio, song lyrics, newspapers, books, billboards, etc.
Somatic Delusions are false beliefs related to a person’s body.
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- Thinking that your body is somehow experiencing a bizarre non plausible illness such as believing that your organs were removed, or that you have worms under your skin.
Erotomanic Delusions are false beliefs revolving around your love life and relationships.
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- Thinking that a celebrity is in love with you or that your partner is cheating on you.
Religious Delusions
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- Thinking that you have a special relationship with a deity or are possessed by a demon.
Grandiose Delusions
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- Thinking that you are famous or more important than the average person. For example, believing that you are the President, or that you have supernatural powers.