MEDizzy - A young man has recently been diagnosed with paranoid

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Psychotic Disorders

A young man has recently been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. He is attending the clinic today and is anxious to learn more about the diagnosis and wishes to discuss symptoms that he might experience as part of the disorder. All the following are negative symptoms of schizophrenia, except:

ExplanationThe negative symptom construct includes blunted/flat affect, anhedonia (diminished interest and enjoyment), alogia (poverty of speech), asociality (social withdrawal) and avolition (diminished motivation and initiative). It is important to assess for the cause of negative symptoms and to exclude comorbid factors that might be causing the symptoms. Primary negative symptoms occur as part of the schizophrenia disorder, whereas secondary negative symptoms can be caused by positive psychotic symptoms, depression, or extrapyramidal side-effects