Positive symptoms

Positive symptoms are abnormal thoughts or perceptions, including hallucinations, delusions, thought disorder, and disorders of movement. They are typically symptoms of illnesses such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder. Positive symptoms are called such because they are additional behaviors not generally seen in healthy individuals.

Hallucinations

Hallucinations are perceptions that occur without connection to an appropriate source. They can occur in any sensory modality—visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, tactile, etc. Auditory hallucinations are particularly common in schizophrenia, often taking the form of voices heard saying negative things about the patient or commanding the patient to do things.

Delusions

Delusions are firmly held beliefs not amenable to logic or persuasion. They are not accounted for by the person's cultural or religious background or level of intelligence. The key feature of a delusion is the degree of conviction. Despite clear contradictory evidence, the person cannot be swayed from their delusions.

Thought Disorder

Thought disorder is a disorganized way of thinking that leads to unusual speech and writing. This can be seen in the form of derailment, tangentiality, inappropriate or incoherent speech, etc. Thought disorder is a hallmark feature of schizophrenia but can also occur in other conditions such as mania and depression.

Disorders of Movement

Disorders of movement cover a range of abnormal movements. They can be as simple as slowed movement or as complex as catatonia. These symptoms are often seen in psychotic disorders and can be a side effect of some medications.

See Also

• Negative symptoms
• Cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia
• Psychosis

References

Positive symptoms Resources
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