Positive Symptoms

Positive symptoms are an aspect of psychosis commonly associated with schizophrenia, although they can also be associated with other psychotic disorders and mood disorders. Positive symptoms are behaviors, thoughts, or affects that most individuals do not normally experience. Generally, they are symptoms that have been added to normal behavior. “Positive” in this respect does not refer to a positive quality experience. There are several different types of positive symptoms: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech and behavior, and catatonic behavior. This entry discusses these different types of positive symptoms. Positive symptoms are dichotomized into two dimensions: (1) the psychotic dimension, including delusions and hallucinations, and (2) the disorganized dimension, including disorganized speech and behavior.

Delusions

Delusions are idiosyncratic beliefs or impressions maintained by an individual despite strong evidence to ...

  • Loading...
locked icon

Sign in to access this content

Get a 30 day FREE TRIAL

  • Watch videos from a variety of sources bringing classroom topics to life
  • Read modern, diverse business cases
  • Explore hundreds of books and reference titles