positive symptoms of schizophrenia

n. Symptoms that are an addition in the functioning of a typical healthy person. Note that positive refers to added aspects of an average functioning individual and not a “good or helpful symptom” (symptoms by definition are detrimental). Positive symptoms in schizophrenia include hallucinations (a sensory perception in the absence of any external stimulus, for example, hearing voices) and delusions (fixed false beliefs). Occasionally disorganized symptoms in schizophrenia are classified as positive symptoms. They include disorganized speech and thinking (such as tangential, incoherent, or circumstantial speech) and disorganized behavior (such as odd or erratic behavior or gestures). In general positive symptoms (especially hallucinations and delusions) have been the most responsive to typical antipsychotic medications. – DGa