Posted by DaveAAA on October 8, 2001, at 16:13:20
In reply to Re: Schizophrenia Question, posted by Squiggles on September 27, 2001, at 13:29:31
> > > > > Why are symptoms of schizophrenia refered to as positive or negative? They all sound pretty bad to me.
> > > >
> > > > Hi Sal,
> > > >
> > > > The "positive" symptoms have to do with hallucinations, delusions, disordered thinking, etc. The "negative" symptoms have to do with the *absence* of everyday activity such as social withdrawal, depression as a result of that, etc.
> > > >
> > > > Mitch
> > >
> > >
> > > That sounds totally arbitrary imho - much would
> > > depend on the type of hallucinations and the
> > > type of everyday activity; also the hallucinations
> > > may be so horrible that they disrupt any kind
> > > of everyday activity. I tried to register at the
> > > alt.schizophrenia group to see what people
> > > experience in this illness, but I couldn't.
> > >
> > > I have been curious about the hallucinations --
> > > are they true hallucinations, or distortions
> > > of something like tinnitus, for example,
> > > interpreted into the person's cognitive set?
> > >
> > > Squiggles
> >
> > Sorry, maybe this will make it a little clearer:
> > http://www.mentalhealth.com/book/p40-sc01.html#Head_4b
>
>
>
> Oh, I see. The positive are the "extroverted"
> signs, while the "negative" are the withdrawn"
> type. Well, what can I say. I understand why
> Kraeplin wanted to find physical tests for
> mental illness, such as blood tests; unfortunately,
> the best we can hope for in that direction is
> when a physical illness presents with mental
> symptoms, e.g. syphillis or hyperthyroidism.
>
> It is a sad state indeed - maybe one day we
> will have more specific diagnostic tools.
>
> I found this particular site to be very
> helpful:
>
> Squiggles
>
>
>HI,
I believe it is also noteworthy that positive symptoms indicate a better prognosis for recovering from schizophrenia.
Negative symptoms indicate a worse prognosis for recovering from schizophrenia.
So, if you have a lot of positive symptoms, than you have a better chance of recovery. If you have a lot of negative symptoms than you have a worse chance of recovery.
Also note, if you have negative symptoms, clozarill can attack these, where other anti-psychotics may not.
http://www.critpsynet.freeuk.com/antipsychiatry.htm
poster:DaveAAA
thread:79696
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20011007/msgs/80669.html