Read the passage and answer the following questions:
Sarita is a 45 years old housewife. Her husband observed that Sarita's behaviour has changed in the past few months, as she seems to be constantly worried, is suspicious of others and very cautious of going out or even eating the food made by their maid. When asked, Sarita claimed that she hears someone is plotting against her and she may be attacked by others around her including her family members. She also complains of hearing voices of her family members and even strangers who speak ill of her. Sarita firmly believes that 'everyone should be nice to her as she is nice to everyone'. These experiences trouble her mentally, resulting into Alogia, social withdrawal, blunt affect and avolition.
In the above passage, Sarita shows signs of alogia. Alogia refers to ______.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Poverty of speech
Option (1) Poverty of speech — Correct. People with schizophrenia show alogia or poverty of speech, i.e. a reduction in speech and speech content. It is one of the negative symptoms.
Option (2) Loss of emotional expression — Incorrect. Showing less anger, sadness or joy than others is blunted affect, and showing no emotion at all is flat affect. Sarita has blunt affect too, but that is a different symptom from alogia.
Option (3) Inability to complete a course of action — Incorrect. This describes avolition, which is apathy and an inability to start or complete a course of action.
Option (4) Disturbed sleeping pattern — Incorrect. Constant sleep problems are among the symptoms of major depressive disorder. They have nothing to do with speech, which is what alogia is about.
NCERT (2025-26): “Symptoms of Schizophrenia … Negative symptoms are ‘pathological deficits’ and include poverty of speech, blunted and flat affect, loss of volition, and social withdrawal. People with schizophrenia show alogia or poverty of speech, i.e. a reduction in speech and speech content. Many people with schizophrenia show less anger, sadness, joy, and other feelings than most people do. Thus they have blunted affect. Some show no emotions at all, a condition known as flat affect. Also patients with schizophrenia experience avolition, or apathy and an inability to start or complete a course of action.…” “Depressive Disorders … Major depressive disorder is defined as a period of depressed mood and/or loss of interest or pleasure in most activities, together with other symptoms which may include change in body weight, constant sleep problems, tiredness, inability to think clearly, agitation, greatly slowed behaviour, and thoughts of death and suicide.…” |