DSM 5 (2013) criteria for schizophrenia

Positive symptoms and negative symptoms

Positive symptoms - type 1

• appear in addition to ordinary experiences

• Thoughts and behaviours the person with schizophrenia did not experience before they became ill

Negative symptoms - type 2

• lack of absence of normal functions and behaviours

• Thoughts and behaviours that the person used to experience before but now can no longer do - they have been taken away from their psyche

Hallucinations

• positive symptoms

• Perceptual, sensory experiences that do not exist in reality

• For example - hearing voices, often critical and abusive also seeing visions, objects moving and seeing animals

Delusions

• positive symptoms

• Disturbances in context of thought, irrational beliefs, commonly linked to paranoia. Most common are:

Persecution - people are out to get you (eg; government, water is poisonous)

Grandeur - believe you have extraordinary powers/skills (eg; being a historical figure or having a special mission)

Disorganised speech

• positive symptom

• Derailment - shifts theme

• Word salad - inventing words/ phrases

• Incoherence - illogical speech, putting together meaningless words

• Repeat sounds

Catatonic and disorganised behaviour

• positive symptom

• Catatonic - adapt strange postures. Immobile for long periods of time, frozen statues, trance like

• Disorganised - moved quickly, pacing or engage in repetitive movements

Negative symptoms

• affective flattening - poor range of emotional expression, lack sensitivity, flat, blunted

• Speech poverty (alogia) - reduction in quality of speech, impaired linguistics ability (eg: delay in verbal responses, brief responses)

• Avolition - lack of drive, apathy, reduced motivation to carry out activities (eg. Poor hygiene, not going to work)