Positive symptoms
Positive Symptoms
Positive symptoms (/ˈpɒzɪtɪv ˈsɪmptəmz/), in the context of psychiatry, are abnormal mental functions that are added to a person's personality. The term "positive" does not imply something beneficial or good, but rather refers to symptoms that are present and were not there before. These symptoms are typically associated with psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Etymology
The term "positive symptoms" originates from the Latin word "positivus", meaning "settled by agreement, positive" and the Greek word "symptoma", meaning "anything that has befallen one, an incident, a disease". In this context, "positive" refers to the presence of symptoms, as opposed to negative symptoms which refer to a deficit of normal mental functions.
Types of Positive Symptoms
Positive symptoms can be broadly categorized into four main types:
1. Hallucinations: These are sensory experiences that occur in the absence of any actual external stimulus. They can affect any of the five senses and are often auditory in nature.
2. Delusions: These are false beliefs that are held with strong conviction, even in the presence of superior evidence to the contrary.
3. Thought disorders: These are unusual or dysfunctional ways of thinking. One example is "word salad", where a person's speech is so disorganized that it becomes difficult or impossible to understand.
4. Movement disorders: These are abnormal body movements, such as agitated movements or catatonic behavior.
Related Terms
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Positive symptoms
- Wikipedia's article - Positive symptoms
This WikiMD dictionary article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.
Languages: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
Urdu,
বাংলা,
తెలుగు,
தமிழ்,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
русский,
português do Brasil,
Italian,
polski