Negative symptoms take something away from a person’s thoughts and behavior. Examples of negative symptoms include:
Neglect of personal hygiene
Inability to express emotions
Social withdrawal, or lacking a desire to speak or interact with others
Loss of interest in hobbies or other activities
Cognitive symptoms refer to those symptoms that affect how a person with schizophrenia thinks, and consequently, how they behave and communicate. These can include:
Disorganized thoughts, speech, and behavior
Moving quickly from one topic to another
Answering questions with seemingly unrelated information
Making up words
Decline in cognition
Decline in memory
Difficulty paying attention or following instructions
Difficulty making decisions
People with schizophrenia may have symptoms in just one category or have symptoms in all three categories.