Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia.

In this article, we will Describe the Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia. Elucidate the Biological Causes of Schizophrenia.

Negative Symptoms refer to a lack of feelings or behaviours that are generally present i.e. absence/deficit of normal behaviour. They are extremely damaging aspects of schizophrenia and are often more difficult to treat. Negative symptoms have an insidious onset and are chronic in nature. Negative Symptoms include Avolition, Poverty of Speech, Flat Affect, Apathy, and Asociality. They are connected with structural brain changes and significant cognitive impairment that is not largely affected by medications.

The Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia – Avolition, Alogia, Anhedonia, Asociality, Flat Affect described below:

1. Avolition

Avolition refers to a lack of motivation and seeming absence of will/interest in the ability to continue in routine activities like self-care, work, and/or school. For Example, people with schizophrenia may become inattentive to grooming and personal hygiene may have uncombed hair, dirty nails, unbrushed teeth, and untidy clothes.

2. Alogia

Alogia means a significant reduction in the amount of speech. People with schizophrenia don’t talk much. They may answer a question in one to two words and then may stop answering. Their comments are likely to be late or slow. Research has found, people with schizophrenia may display their difficulty with formulating their thoughts and not their inadequate communication skills in Alogia.

3. Anhedonia

Anhedonia is supposed to loss of interest and experience of reported pleasure in activities that are naturally considered pleasurable for everyone. For Example, food, socialization, sexual relations, hobbies, watching TV, etc. Researchers have distinguished between Consummatory Pleasure or the in-the-moment pleasure and Anticipatory Pleasure. Consummatory Pleasure example is the amount of pleasure experienced while eating a good meal. Anticipatory Pleasure refers to the expected pleasure from a future event. For instance, the Anticipated Pleasure of going on a trip, graduating, celebrating festivals etc. It has been found that people with schizophrenia report loss of Anticipatory Pleasure and not Consummatory Pleasure.

4. Asociality

Some people with schizophrenia have severe impairments in social relationships. For Example, they have few friends, poor social skills, and very little interest in being with other people. Alternatively, they wish to spend much of their time alone.
In the case of John Nash, it was described that he had poor social skills since childhood, and his parents would often force him to go out with friends and socialize.

5. Flat Affect

Flat Affect is the lack of outward expression of emotion. A person with this symptom may appear to be not expressive. She/He has a poker face, gaze lifelessly at others, and the muscles of the face would lay motionless. Their voice is also flat and toneless. They may even not look at others even though replying to them. A large number of people with schizophrenia has found this symptom. Though, it is important to point out the concept of Flat Affect refers only to the outward expression of emotions and not the patient’s inner experience. Studies have found that people with schizophrenia display much fewer expressions facially than the control group. But they stated experiencing the same amount of emotion and aroused even more physiologically.

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