Which cluster best describes negative symptoms in schizophrenia?

• A. Diminished affect, avolition, and alogia
• B. Elevated mood and increased energy
• C. Intense anxiety and panic
• D. Enhanced memory and attention

Answer: (B)

Negative symptoms reflect deficits in normal functioning, such as reduced expression, motivation, and speech. Diminished affect (reduced emotional expressiveness), avolition (lack of motivation to start or sustain activities), and alogia (limited speech) together describe these core deficits. They represent what the person with schizophrenia is less able to do, rather than new experiences or heightened states.

Elevated mood and increased energy point to mania, not negative symptoms. Intense anxiety and panic describe anxiety symptoms, not the characteristic loss of affect, motivation, or speech. Enhanced memory and attention imply stronger cognitive processing, which is not a feature of the negative symptom cluster in schizophrenia.