Symptoms

The symptoms of schizophrenia are grouped into negative, positive, and cognitive.² These symptoms can result in changes in behavior and thinking, and are experienced by people in different ways.³¹²

• Negative symptoms – result from a difficulty in feeling¹² or showing emotions, or in functioning normally.³¹³ Among these symptoms, there is avoiding people,⁵ lack of motivation¹³⁶ or enthusiasm,⁵ not talking much,³⁶ and the inability to enjoy everyday life.⁷
• Positive symptoms – may make it difficult to distinguish the difference between what is real and what is imagined.² Positive symptoms include hallucinations and delusions.¹²³
• Cognitive symptoms – relate to the ability to think,⁷ and can include poor memory,⁷¹⁴ lack of attention⁷ and poor concentration.¹⁴