Which symptoms of schizophrenia are considered 'positive' because they represent excesses or additions to normal experience?

• A. Positive symptoms
• B. Negative symptoms
• C. Cognitive symptoms
• D. Affective symptoms

Answer: (A)

In schizophrenia, symptoms are grouped into positive, negative, cognitive, and affective types. Positive symptoms are those that add something new to normal experience—things that aren’t typically present. Examples include hallucinations and delusions, as well as disorganized speech or behavior. They’re called positive because they reflect an excess or addition to normal functioning. Negative symptoms, on the other hand, are reductions in normal functioning (like flat affect or social withdrawal), cognitive symptoms involve thinking skills (memory, attention, executive function), and affective symptoms relate to mood. So the correct category for those added, excess experiences is positive symptoms.