Negative Schizophrenic Symptoms

An international team of leading researchers and clinicians here provide a comprehensive, epidemiological overview of this multi-faceted and still perplexing disorder, and address some of the key questions it raises. How important in the genetic contribution to schizophrenia? Do pregnancy and birth complications increase the risk for schizophrenia? Is the incidence of schizophrenia changing? Why is the rate higher among immigrants and in those born in cities? Controversial issues such as the validity of discrete or dimensional classifications of schizophrenia and the continuum between psychosis and 'normality' are explored in depth, and separate chapters are devoted to topics of particular relevance to schizophrenia such as suicide, violence and substance abuse. Finally, new prospects for treatment and prevention are considered. Drawing together the findings from social, genetic, developmental and classical epidemiology of schizophrenia, this text will prove an invaluable resource for clinicians and researchers.

First published in 1991. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

The positive versus negative distinction of schizophrenic disorders has pro moted ongoing research. Phenomenology, psychopathology, biology, genet ics, pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatment, psychosocial and longitudinal research: all have found a new focus of interest. This volume attempts to provide an unbiased picture of the status of American and Eu ropean knowledge regarding the positive/negative distinction. Researchers from North America and Europe describe the relation of modern concepts of positive and negative symptomatology to the original models of Rey nolds and Jackson. Integrating phenomenological, genetic, and biological factors, the authors depict current methods of assessing positive and nega tive symptomatology, differentiating between primary and secondary symp tomatology, and using pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatment. The stability of positive and negative symptoms over time and evidence for the occurrence of separate positive and negative episodes over a long-term course of schizophrenia are extensively discussed in terms of their implica tions on the positive/negative construct. The relevance of the positive/nega tive dichotomy to child and adolescent schizophrenia is also debated. The main aim of this book is not to advocate a single concept and present only arguments supporting it, but to discuss important controversies. Prob lems concerning a concept cannot be solved by ignoring them. However, unanswered questions may be resolved through discussion, debate, and con structive compromise.

First published in 1987. This volume presents a collection of chapters on varied aspects of psychotic symptoms, largely within the context of positive versus negative symptoms. These chapters cover a broad range of aspects of these symptoms, such as longitudinal course, cognitive correlates, biochemical and structural correlates, conceptual issues, and research methods. The majority of these chapters were presented at the SUNY-Binghamton/Cornell University conference on schizophrenia that took place on October 17-19, 1985, in Ithaca, NY. That conference was designed to provide a forum for the dissemination of information on psychotic symptoms in general, with the overriding framework of positive versus negative symptoms.

I personally know some people in my immediate circles who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia, so I decided to analyze this disorder and really align the most important things you need to know about it. I don’t know what prompted you to pick up this book; whether you already know people with a schizophrenic mind or just got curious, just in case you do meet someone who is dealing with this disorder. Let me assure you that schizophrenia is prevalent enough that you’ll be confronted with an individual or two at some point in life, and that is does help to learn more about it. With this book, you’ll deepen your understanding, and you’ll be more inclined to comprehend the complicated processes in a person’s mind who innocently gets haunted by some of the difficult symptoms of schizophrenia. The information in this book is correct and accurate, and you will find that it will make sense, especially when you observe these symptoms in an individual you know or meet. Additionally, I will provide possible solutions for handling the disorder. As with many disorders, every person is different, and some solutions may only minimize the negative effects of the brain’s malfunctioning. Others may help you work “miracles” as you notice significant process in the individual’s happiness and fulfilment in life. I encourage you to read through the pointers and notes in this comprehensive guide to understanding schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is one of the most severe psychiatric disorders, carrying with it significant stigma and a number of debilitating symptoms. While material on its "positive" symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions, is readily available, its "negative" symptoms, which present heterogeneously as deficits across a variety of domains, are not nearly so well-documented and often go undiagnosed with no effective treatment. Given the poor functioning and outcomes which occur as a result of these symptoms, it is imperative they receive greater focus. Part of the Oxford Psychiatry Library (OPL) series, this concise pocketbook provides readers with a comprehensive overview of the definition, evaluation, and treatment of negative symptoms. Written by experts in the field, with key points at the beginning of each chapter for quick reference, this is an invaluable resource for any mental health care professional working with individuals affected by schizophrenia.