Negative Symptom
A symptom reflecting diminished or absent normal functions—such as flat affect, alogia, or avolition—typically associated with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.
Full Definition
Negative symptoms represent the reduction or loss of normal emotional and behavioral responses and are often more resistant to pharmacological treatment than positive symptoms. Common negative symptoms include anhedonia (inability to experience pleasure), alogia (poverty of speech), avolition (lack of motivation), and blunted affect. In behavioral health documentation, accurate use of this term is critical for treatment justification and LOCUS/level-of-care determinations. Editors must resist any impulse to interpret 'negative' as pejorative or as indicating a worsening of status. The PANSS and BNSS (Brief Negative Symptom Scale) are standard rating instruments that enumerate these symptoms formally.
Usage
Usage note: Always lowercase. Do not confuse with 'negative test result' when the word 'negative' appears in the same document in a laboratory or screening context.
In Context
- "Clinicians noted that the client's negative symptoms—including avolition and flat affect—were the primary barriers to community reintegration." — Discharge summary
- "The progress note carefully distinguished between depressive symptoms and negative symptoms to avoid diagnostic conflation." — Outpatient psychiatric progress note