Explain the difference between positive and negative symptoms in schizophrenia.

• A. Positive symptoms are deficits such as flat affect; negative symptoms are additions like delusions.
• B. Positive symptoms are additions such as delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized thinking; negative symptoms are deficits such as flat affect, avolition, anhedonia, and alogia.
• C. Both positive and negative symptoms are identical in nature.
• D. Positive symptoms include reduced speech; negative symptoms include hallucinations.

Answer: (B)

The difference hinges on whether symptoms add experiences or reflect a loss of normal functioning. Positive symptoms are additions to perception or thought that aren’t present in healthy individuals, such as delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized thinking. Negative symptoms involve reductions in normal emotional or motivational processes, like flat affect, avolition, anhedonia, and alogia. This distinction matters because positive symptoms often respond better to antipsychotic medications, while negative symptoms can be harder to treat and may require different approaches. The other descriptions mix up these categories or claim there’s no difference, which doesn’t fit how these symptoms present in schizophrenia.