Negative symptoms were more closely associated with the occupational functioning measures than
positive symptoms, a finding that is consistent with previous reports that find improvements in the negative symptoms of patients who participate in occupational skills-training programs.
* dopaminergic hyperactivity in mesolimbic dopaminergic pathways contributes to
positive symptoms of schizophrenia--hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thoughts and behaviors, and catatonia
To more closely examine the drug's efficacy in domains other than
positive symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations, Dr.
Current antipsychotics are reasonably effective in treating
positive symptoms, but they do less to improve the negative and cognitive symptoms (1) that contribute to patients' long-term poor functional capacity and quality of life.
The investigators found that FH and sex interacted to influence the severity of negative symptoms, but not
positive symptoms.
Positive symptoms (hallucinations, delusions, thought disorder, etc.) and--to a lesser extent--negative symptoms (anhedonia, asociality, blunted affect, etc.) often improve when patients are treated with antipsychotics.
"
Positive symptoms seemed to fade away over time and were less prominent [by 20 years' follow-up] in all groups," Dr.
* result in
positive symptoms, such as ideas of reference or paranoid delusions, when the individual with schizophrenia misperceives ordinary social cues as "threats."
Usall and her colleagues found that adding 60 mg daily of raloxifene--the standard dosage indicated for osteoporosis prevention--to regular antipsychotic treatment improved psychotic symptoms at 12 weeks, compared with antipsychotics alone, with reduction in negative symptoms, (P = .044),
positive symptoms (P = .031), and general psychopathological symptoms (P = .045), and without significant adverse effects (J.
Specially adapted cognitive therapy improved global function, motivation, and
positive symptoms in low-functioning patients who had chronic schizophrenia and significant cognitive impairment, according to a study in the journal.
The mean scores on the shortened SUMD were 4.81 for awareness of their mental disorder, 3.42 for level of awareness of
positive symptoms, and 3.79 for level of awareness of negative symptoms.
In addition, women tend to present more
positive symptoms than do men - symptoms that have been linked to suicide risks.