Catatonia in individuals with schizophrenia causes limited reactivity to the environment and can include stereotyped behaviors such as repetitive movements or assuming bizarre poses for hours or even days.

A delusion of persecution is when a person believes everyone is trying to hurt (persecute) him or her; Lucy's belief about random planes bombing her and strangers plotting to hurt her are two examples of such perceived persecution.

It is incorrect that Schizophrenia impacts 10-20% of the population. Rather, depression has been found to impact 10-20% of the population. Schizophrenia is less common and impacts about 1% of the population. It is most commonly diagnosed in late adolescence and early adulthood. All of the other statements are correct.

All of the choices represent manifestations of disorganized thoughts in the speech associated with a paranoid schizophrenia. This described as "disorganized speech" and represents a symptom that is characteristic of paranoid schizophrenia. "Tangentiality" is steering away from the topic at hand. For instance:

Q: Have you been nervous or tense lately?

A: No, I got a head of lettuce.

"Derailment" occurs when the topic is constantly being changed. If asked whether or not they like TV, then a paranoid schizophrenic might respond with "My sister likes TV. I dance to what's on the TV. I like to draw and read stories." The patient can also cleverly coin new terms on the spot, which are called "neologisms." Last, excessive rhyming or almost poetic-like speech is calling "clanging."

Ms. Johnson presents symptoms characterized by hallucinations and delusions—two hallmark symptoms of "schizophrenia." Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric illness in which people have trouble distinguishing fantasy from reality. Among women, schizophrenia typically begins in the late 20s.

Negative symptoms are thoughts, feelings, or behaviors that are present in the average person but diminished in a person with a mental disorder. Diminished appetite is the only option that is not a negative symptom of schizophrenia.

Delusionsare firmly held erroneous beliefs that are a product of distortions or exaggerations of reasoning and/or misinterpretations of perceptions or experiences. When someone has paranoid schizophrenia, delusions of being followed or watched are common; furthermore, those suffering from this disorder may believe that radio or TV programs are sending them special messages. This is paranoid thinking, which is the identifying pattern of the illness. It creates a world for the affected person where everyone is "out to get them."

Works Cited:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health, 1999. (https://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/ps/access/NNBBHS.pdf).

Many people with schizophrenia have hallucinations, which can be defined as sensory experiences without sensory stimulation. Although auditory, visual, tactile (touch), gustatory (taste), and olfactory (smell) hallucinations are all possible, auditory hallucinations, particularly hearing voices that no one else can hear, are by far the most common.

Men tend to develop schizophrenia earlier than women, in that the average age of onset of schizophrenia for men is 18 and the average age of onset for women is 25. Many other psychological disorders come to fruition during the "young adult" period, including antisocial personality disorder and various mood disorders.

A negative symptom is one that dispells attention from a subject. Alternatively, positive symptoms attract attention to a subject. While a lack of emotion is a negative symptom, hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized speech are all positive symptoms.