negative symptoms of schizophrenia
Last reviewed 01/2018
The chronic syndrome is characterised by negative symptoms, which include:
- Lack of motivation and initiative; decreased activity
- Social withdrawal
- Abnormal social behaviour, such as overfamiliarity with strangers, sexual disinhibition
- poverty of thought and speech
- Mood disorder
- blunting of affect
- incongruity
- depression
Such symptoms may be exacerbated in a stultifying environment, such as was characteristic of many large asylums in the first half of the 20th century. The negative symptoms are strongly associated with chronic social and vocational impairment.