Real-World Application: Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Case Studies
Here you will examine cases and apply what you have learned to identify both the positive and negative symptoms.
For each of these cases, indicate the positive and negative symptoms. This can be done in a bulleted format.
Hannah
Hannah sits quietly in the corner of a room at the local homeless shelter. She stares at the floor and occasionally begins to cry softly as she repeats “Please don’t leave me, please don’t leave me…” Sometimes she will get up and join the line for meals or use the bathroom. If someone tries to disturb her, she screams loudly, and the staff has learned to leave her alone.
Tommy
Tommy has just started his first semester at Old State U. This is the first time he has been away from home and he is lonely. Tommy has never made friends easily. His roommate is from a nearby town and seldom even enters the room. Many of the other young men on his floor seem to know each other from athletics or parties at local high schools. Tommy has always been rather quiet and studious.
Last night, Tommy was found in the shower by the resident assistant. He was soaking wet and fully dressed. Tommy kept mumbling something about the speakers that had been secretly installed in his ears and how the water would short them out and stop the messages.
Asa
Asa works in the mailroom at Zip-It-Up Bags. Everyone thinks of him as a nice enough guy and a reasonably reliable employee, though he is a little strange. He never seems to get excited about anything, and sometimes does not understand the jokes the others tell.
He usually eats his lunch in the janitor’s closet and does not associate much with the other employees. Occasionally, he will get part of the way through sorting the mail and just stop and go outside for anywhere from a few minutes to several hours. Luckily, Zip-It-Up doesn’t get too much mail, and what doesn’t get done today can be taken care of tomorrow.
