Which are positive symptoms of schizophrenia?

• A. Delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech or grossly disorganized behavior.
• B. Affective flattening and alogia.
• C. Avolition and anhedonia.
• D. Social withdrawal.

Answer: (A)

Positive symptoms are additions to normal functioning, reflecting excess or distortion of thoughts and perception. In schizophrenia, this includes delusions (false, fixed beliefs), hallucinations (perceiving things that aren’t there, most often auditory), and disorganized thinking manifested as disorganized speech or grossly disorganized behavior. This trio represents experiences that are present in excess, rather than a loss of normal function. The other options describe negative symptoms—blunted affect, poverty of speech, lack of motivation, anhedonia, and social withdrawal—which are reductions or absences of typical abilities rather than added experiences. So delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized speech or behavior are the classic positive symptoms.