Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a mental health disorder that includes problems with thinking, feeling, and behavior. Negative symptoms are equally debilitating but are not as well known as the positive symptoms schizophrenia is known for — such as hallucinations and delusions. For those who live with the disorder, understanding negative symptoms is important to daily functioning and quality of life.

What are Negative Symptoms?

Negative symptoms are the lack or diminishment of normal behaviors, emotions, and thought processes a person may show. Positive symptoms are unlike these, which include excess or distortion of normal function, such as delusions or hallucinations. Subtle negative symptoms also aren’t always easy to diagnose and treat effectively.

These symptoms tend to isolate the person, compromise productivity, make it hard to build relationships and hinder people from living complete lives. Understanding these symptoms and knowing when they occur early, allows those individuals to receive the care, granted, they need.

Common Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia

1. Emotional Flatness

Out of all the symptoms, emotional flatness or blunting is one of the most recognized. These people can show no sign of being affected by what should be emotional highs and lows. They can also lose their ability to communicate emotions through facial expressions, gestures, and voice tone. Others can’t truly understand what you feel and how you think in this case, and that can be hard to deal with.

2. Anhedonia

Anhedonia means difficulty or inability to experience pleasure or to feel interested in actions you used to enjoy. This can drag down a person’s interest in finding the motivation to engage in social, hobby, or work-related tasks. Loss of pleasure in day-to-day experiences can lead to feeling sad or frustrated, making it difficult to have a sense of purpose.

3. Social Withdrawal

Characterized by social withdrawal, people with negative symptoms often become isolated. It may include not hanging out with friends, family, or community events. Perhaps one of the most harmful symptoms, social withdrawal can cause feelings of loneliness worse, and increase the chances of becoming depressed.

4. Avolition

Lack of motivation to start and continue goal-directed activities (initial and continued pursuit of those goals; avolition). It could show itself by neglecting private hygiene, skipping meals, or not finishing essential daily tasks. Avolition can interfere with one’s ability to be employed, attend school, or participate in social activities.

5. Alogia

Reduced speech output accompanied by the inability to have meaningful conversation is referred to as alogia. Short, monosyllabic answers or a general lack of ability to enlighten are what it looks like. This symptom affects a person’s ability to speak and relate to other people.

Daily Life Impact of Negative Symptoms

Profoundly disruptive, negative symptoms can be devastating to daily life. For instance, someone who is socially withdrawn will have a hard time keeping relationships, they will feel alone and lonely. They can seem indifferent or disinterested to loved ones, and this can result in misunderstandings and awkward relationships.

Avolition can prevent you from getting everyday jobs done, have you not in hygiene, not in work, and make it impossible to get into a routine. It could lead to a drop in your quality of life as a whole. This lack of motivation can, and often does, prevent people from reaching personal and professional goals, mix this with difficulty with carrying out tasks and you have the makings of a frustrating cycle of low self-esteem.

Negative symptoms are one of the biggest hurdles because they can be hard to recognize or treat. Negative symptoms are less dramatic and might be mistaken for laziness, depression, or something unrelated. Such a delay in diagnosis and treatment can worsen the ultimate prognosis.

Get help at Orlando Treatment Solutions

People who have suffered from the negative symptoms of schizophrenia need to seek professional help. Orlando Treatment Solutions provides extensive mental health care tailored to meet each individual’s special needs. We have an experienced team that helps patients manage symptoms, improve their quality of life, and give them the skills to do well.

We’d love to chat with you about how we can help you or your loved one. Contact us today. Don’t wait — help is available, and the road out of here begins with the first step you take.

Negative Symptoms Treatment Options

Treatments for negative symptoms must take a multifaceted approach. But these symptoms can be hard to treat, and therapy, medication, and support work together to provide a dramatic impact. Here are some common treatment options:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

CBT is an evidence-based therapy geared to assisting participants in the identification and change of negative thought patterns. For people with the negative symptoms of schizophrenia, CBT will help to challenge unproductive beliefs and promote more healthy thinking. Building coping strategies and improving daily functioning can be assisted with this therapy.

• Psychosocial Interventions

Social skills, building motivation, and identifying everyday strategies that are anchored in psychosocial interventions are factors that can be increased. For example, group therapy can regain contact with others, improve communication skills, and reduce social withdrawal. In addition, family therapy can help educate and support caregivers, as part of the whole home environment situation for the patient.

• Medication Management

Positive symptoms are typically treated with antipsychotic medications, but there are new medications that may also have positive effects on negative symptoms. They can help stabilize your mood and reduce the severity of some of your symptoms. A mental health professional should come together with you to develop a comprehensive treatment plan, with medication and dosage that is best for each individual.

• Peer Support and Support Groups

Support groups are a safe space for people (like yourself) to share similar stories with each other, offer support to each other, and learn from others who’ve experienced similar challenges. There are particular programs that can help people feel less alone and more understood, and these are peer support programs.

Tips to Cope with Negative Symptoms

In addition to professional treatment, there are strategies that can help individuals cope with negative symptoms:

• Build a Structured Routine: Regular activity cannot be promoted through avolition and a consistent schedule can help.
• Practice Self-Compassion: Be patient with yourself. The recovery can be slow and remembering small steps can give you the motivation to continue.
• Seek Support: Be it connecting with friends, family members, or support groups, it makes a big difference in combating feelings of isolation.
• Engage in Physical Activity: Regular exercise helps improve mood and total well-being.
• Mindfulness Practices: Meditation and techniques that involve breathing help you become more self-aware and reduce stress.

Schizophrenia is a debilitating disorder that can cause negative symptoms, which prevent the patient from interacting with friends, their family, and in their daily lives, while simultaneously blocking them from accomplishing their personal goals. Early detection and complete treatment can help these symptoms to be effectively managed. If you or a loved one is having negative symptoms, don’t hesitate to seek out support. At Orlando Treatment Solutions we are here to give expert care and compassionate support to help you take the essential first step in the route towards a brighter future.