PSYC 380 Research Paper: Exploring Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia

This research paper, submitted for PSYC 380, delves into the negative symptoms of schizophrenia, particularly focusing on their manifestation in children and adolescents. It examines the challenges in diagnosing and treating these symptoms, emphasizing the importance of early intervention for improved long-term outcomes. The paper explores the causes of schizophrenia, including genetic, psychological, and social factors, while also addressing the commonalities in brain abnormalities and neurodevelopmental issues observed in affected children. Furthermore, the paper discusses various treatment options, such as antipsychotic medications and psychotherapy, highlighting the importance of comprehensive care. The research draws from recent journal articles and provides a thorough overview of the disorder and its impact on the lives of those affected.

Running head: NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA
Negative symptoms of schizophrenia
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA
Abstract
Childhood schizophrenia begins at a young age of a child and is a lifelong psychotic disorder
which if identified and treated early onset may potentially improve a long term outcome. There is
no known cause for this disorder but genetic, psychological and social factors are to be
considered. Although schizophrenia has positive and negative symptoms, this paper will address
the negative ones of the disease.
Negative symptoms are difficult to treat yet treatment is vital for the quality of life. This paper
will address negative symptoms in schizophrenia and the various options of treatment once
childhood schizophrenia is diagnosed with primary or secondary negative symptoms. It will also
discuss commonalities in brain abnormalities as well as neurodevelopmental issues in children
13 through 18.

2NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA
Introduction
The mental development of an individual is as important as their physical development.
An individual can work effectively in the society when they have the necessary social skills of
comprehension which allows them to interact with the other members of the community. Such
forms of human interaction is necessary in order to ensure the decent standard of living for such
people. However, often times it can be observed that there exists several challenges in the society
which prevents such individuals from executing such seamless form of interaction in their daily
lives (Cullen et al., 2014). Some of these challenges may be present inherently within such
people in the form of mental disability. Any adverse mental framework of an individual affects
the kind of relationship they share with the other members of the society in the sense that they
would not be able to understand the conversations in the context that they are being shared. This
issue become more concerning when they are observed within the children of the society
(Dickson et al., 2014). The purpose of this paper is to understand the issue of schizophrenia. To
this extent, its negative effect on the children of the age groups of thirteen to eighteen have been
taken in to consideration.
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is considered to be a kind of mental disorder which is found to be
characterized by the elements of delusions, any kind of cognitive disability such as that of
hallucinations and so on (Cullen et al., 2014). It is usually observed to be present in the
individuals of the late adolescent age to that of early adulthood and it can be a life long struggle
for the individuals who are found to be suffering from such a kind of mental disorder.
Schizophrenia is believed to affect the population when they are in the ages of sixteen to thirty.

3NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA
The male members of the society have a higher tendency of being affected by this mental
disorder at a much younger age than the female population of the community (Patel et al., 2014).
One of the most concerning issues of this disorder is that the progress of schizophrenia is
extremely slow and therefore, the symptoms do not manifest themselves externally until it is too
late to medically treat it. In this regard, it needs to be noted that almost one percent of the entire
global population has the potential of suffering from this mental disorder (Krause et al., 2018).
Causes of schizophrenia
With regards to the mental disorder of schizophrenia, it needs to be noted that the exact
causes of this disorder are yet to be discovered. The doctors and the psychiatrists do not
understand as to why some section of the population is prone to be affected by schizophrenia
while others are not (Jardri et al., 2014). However, contemporary research studies have suggested
that schizophrenia may arise as a result of certain genetic, physical, environmental and even
psychological factors. The have the potential to make an individual more prone to develop such a
condition (Malhotra, Kumar & Verma, 2015).
Negative symptoms of schizophrenia in children
Childhood schizophrenia is not a common phenomenon since the disorder is perceived to
gain a strong foot hold among the individuals who are in their adolescent or early adulthood
phase. However, in the event that the disorder is found in the younger population, it needs to be
noted that the children interpret their surrounding environment is an abnormal manner (Bartlett,
2014). Schizophrenia includes within itself a variety of problems such as those of cognitive
thinking inability, poor behavior and manifestation of aggressive emotions. Schizophrenia may
also manifest itself in the form of hallucinations and delusional thinking among the children

4NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA
population of the society (Cagliostro, 2019). They may exhibit extreme disordered thinking and
behavior which have the ability to impair the child’s ability to function in an efficient manner.
The earliest indication of schizophrenia within the children includes certain
developmental problems such as those of the delay in the development of language. This has a
severe impact on the form of communication that is undertaken by the affected individuals
(Foussias, G., & Remington, 2010). They are unable to express their feelings and emotions and
as a consequence of this, their needs and desires are often over looked. Furthermore, they are
also unable to comprehensively understand the words spoken by the other members of the
society (Lutgens et al., 2013). This adversely affects their ability to form a lasting relation with
such members of the society.
Furthermore, another negative symptom of childhood schizophrenia is that of flapping
their arms or rocking their entire body for a considerable period of time, even in public spheres
of activity. A child who is facing schizophrenia is often found to engage in activities which
keeps their mind distracted. They do not follow the normal form of human conduction in their
daily lives (Maloney, Yakutis & Frazier, 2012). To this extent, they are found to resort to rock
their bodies as this helps them with their anxiety attacks.
One of the most significant negative symptoms of schizophrenia which can be noted in a
teenager is that of withdrawal. People usually tend to interact with one another in order to find a
form a social life. However, people who suffer from schizophrenia tend to withdraw themselves
from their family members and friends (Sharma & Harvey, 2006). Their level of mental maturity
is not in the same orientation as that of a normal human being which makes it extremely difficult
for the people around them to understand their feelings and emotions. As a consequence of this,
they are often subjected to a host of negative feelings from such members of the community,

5NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA
often resulting in them being alienated. In order to counteract this, the adolescents suffering from
schizophrenia prefer to isolate themselves from their family members and friends.
They also suffer from troubled sleep and that of depressed mood. The anxieties that
develop within the adolescents of the society do not allow them to process their life activities in
an efficient manner. Their inherent psychological set up is affected as a result of this mental
disorder. This causes them stress and anxiety which, in turn, affects their nature of conduction in
the society. They lack motivation to form any meaningful human relationships and this further
affects their mood as they do not have any one to confide in of the facts which are troubling them
(Cullen et al., 2014). As a consequence of this, the people suffering from schizophrenia may
exhibit strange and unruly behavior in the form of sudden angry out bursts and that of alienating
themselves from the society.
However, as argued by Dickson et al. (2014), it can be seen that the most concerning
negative symptom of schizophrenia which may affect an individual of any age group is that of
suicidal tendencies. Suicidal thoughts and the consequent behavior are found to be common
among the individuals of the society who are suffering from schizophrenia. There are a host of
reasons which may lead to the generation of such thoughts. For instance, their depressed or
fluctuating moods, their inability to form any lasting relationships as a result of them alienating
themselves from the members of the society and even that of their anxiety issues.
Commonalities in brain abnormalities and neurodevelopmental issues in
children
Certain abnormalities and neurodevelopmental issues can be noticed among the
individuals of the society, especially in the children of the age group of thirteen to that of

6NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA
eighteen years. Schizophrenia is one of the main reasons for the occurrence of such
neurodevelopmental issues. For instance, one of the abnormalities noted in the individuals
suffering from schizophrenia is that of attention deficit disorder (Najas-García, Rufián & Rojo,
2014). In other words, the affected individuals face a concerning challenge in paying the
necessary attention to the issue at hand. According to a report published in the United States of
America, it can be seen that around fifteen percent of the children in the age group of three years
to seventeen years suffer from learning disabilities, including cerebral palsy, stuttering and other
form developmental delays (Bora, 2015).
The common ground which is seen to be existing between brain abnormalities and the
issue of neurodevelopmental issues in children is that they one emerges as a result of the other
(American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Most of the children suffering from
neurodevelopmental disorders are seen to be affected by other forms of brain abnormalities such
as that of ADHD or attention deficit and hyperactive disorder. More than four percent of the
children population of the United States suffer from such conditions.
Treatment for schizophrenia
The cause of schizophrenia is yet to be discovered by the health community across the
world. However, a variety of treatment is present in the world with regard to schizophrenia. The
first treatment is that of undergoing medications. The use of the antipsychotic medications helps
the concerned individuals to reduce the various psychotic symptoms of the mental disorder
(Cullen et al., 2014). The main objective of such medications is to allow the individuals to
function in a more appropriate and effective manner. To this extent, it needs to be noted that the
antipsychotic medications first came in to public prominence during the 1950s. However, there

7NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA
are no proper cure for schizophrenia to the extent that it can be completely cured. The
medications simply ensure that there would not be any further psychotic episodes.
Another kind of treatment which exists in the field of schizophrenia is that of
psychotherapy (Patel et al., 2014). Therapy aids in the process of treating the individuals
suffering from schizophrenia. In this context, it needs to be noted that the mental health
professionals are found to be working closely with the psychiatrists so as to make sure that the
methods of treatment of schizophrenia are effective in nature. For instance, when an individual
undergoes a medication, the mental health care professionals try to refer them to a psychiatrist
who ensures that the patients are able to discuss their feelings and emotions in their therapy
sessions.
To this extent, it needs to be noted that there are various kinds of therapy sessions which
exists in the context of schizophrenia. The family therapy sessions tries to reign in the other
members of the family in such sessions (Patel et al., 2014). The objective of these sessions is to
ensure that the family members attend the sessions with the individual suffering from
schizophrenia so as to give them the idea of the various emotional stress that the person is facing.
The time is spent for understanding the issue and finding effective ways of facing the challenges
together.
In this context, it can be seen that the main purpose of such treatments is to provide a
means of resolving the issue of schizophrenia as faced within the children and the adult
population. However, schizophrenia is a life long struggle and therefore, cannot be treated in a
comprehensive manner.

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Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be observed that the issue of schizophrenia is quite uncommon
among the children population and that of the adults of the society. It mainly affects the people
who are in their adolescent age or in their early adulthood phase. There are no clinical causes
which have been discovered to attribute for the onset of such a mental disorder as that of
schizophrenia. It was been stated that the genetics of the individual, their psychological mind set
and the surrounding environmental factors, contribute to the issue of schizophrenia as noticed
among the individuals of the society. Their rate of mental and physical development is negative
affected as a consequence of schizophrenia. In this context, their learning abilities, their ability to
walk or formulate comprehensible words is also found to be affected. To this extent, there is a
need to take in to cognizance such symptoms by the other members of the community, especially
be the family members as the manifestation of schizophrenia is not always explicit. Once
diagnosed, the individual should be submitted to a rigorous form of clinical treatment which
would help them to alleviate their pain level by providing relief.

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