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Negative symptoms are clinical signs that are difficult to identify and cannot be used alone as a diagnostic tool. They are most commonly associated with schizophrenia but can also be seen with other mental health conditions and brain injuries. Common negative symptoms include social withdrawal, apathy, blunted emotional responses, anhedonia, and limited communication. Treatment for the underlying cause may resolve symptoms, but they can also become a permanent part of a patient’s behavior patterns. It’s important to be aware that individuals with negative symptoms may still be aware of their surroundings and what others are saying.
Negative symptoms are things that are present in healthy individuals but cannot be seen in a patient with mental health problems or a brain injury. They are clinical signs that can provide diagnostic clues, but are sometimes difficult to identify and cannot be used alone as a diagnostic tool. The term “negative symptoms” is most commonly associated with schizophrenia, but these symptoms can also be seen with other mental health conditions such as depression, as well as some types of brain injury.
In people who have negative symptoms, they experience an absence or diminished feeling and response that can limit their ability to interact with the world around them. Negative symptoms can become debilitating and are sometimes the first signs of a mental illness that can be positively identified. For example, in a depressed person, negative symptoms may contribute to behaviors that make it difficult to get out of bed in the morning, complete tasks, or spend time with people.
Common negative symptoms include social withdrawal, apathy, and blunted emotional responses, sometimes known as the flat effect. People may also find it difficult to experience pleasure, even in tasks and activities they normally enjoy, a negative symptom known as anhedonia. Also, limited communication in the form of stilted or short speeches is a common negative symptom.
In some individuals, the onset of these symptoms can be gradual, while in others it can be very sudden. Behavioral changes in someone who hasn’t been diagnosed with a medical problem can be an indicator that something is wrong. In people with brain injuries, negative symptoms can be caused by damage to areas of the brain that normally regulate emotion, speech, and pleasure. Individuals with mental illness experience such symptoms due to chemical imbalances in their brains.
With treatment for the underlying cause, symptoms sometimes resolve. In other cases, they may become a permanent part of a patient’s behavior patterns, and patients may need to make adjustments to learn how to cope. Other people sometimes feel nervous around individuals with negative symptoms, and things like limited emotional expression can result in awkward social interactions and confusion, because the patient may not be able to express emotions clearly.
Some people with mental illness and brain injury have trouble reading others, while others don’t. It’s important to be aware that even if someone has limited communication skills or seems disinterested in the world around them, that person may be acutely aware of what others are saying.
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