Identify the reason, Brijesh laughed abruptly and inappropriately:

Read the passage and answer the question that follows:

Brijesh is 25 years old autorickshaw driver. He has continuous feelings of insecurity and believes that the police in the area is tracking and following him. The patrolling of the police makes him feel that they are monitoring his behaviour minutely. The intense anxiety about this is interfering with his work and relationship and his family and friends are all worried for him. Brijesh laughs abruptly and inappropriately and sometimes stops speaking mid sentence and stares into nothingness as he appears to see or hear something that is not present.

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 1

The correct answer is Option (1) → due to inappropriate affect

Option (1) due to inappropriate affect — Correct. People with schizophrenia show inappropriate affect, i.e. emotions that are unsuited to the situation. Laughing abruptly when nothing is funny is this positive symptom.

Option (2) due to flat affect — Incorrect. Flat affect is showing no emotions at all. Brijesh shows an emotion, only at the wrong time.

Option (3) due to blunt affect — Incorrect. Blunted affect is showing less anger, sadness, joy and other feelings than most people do. Sudden laughter is not a lessening of emotion.

Option (4) due to avolition — Incorrect. Avolition is apathy and an inability to start or complete a course of action. It concerns action, not emotion.

NCERT (2025-26): “Symptoms of Schizophrenia … People with schizophrenia also show inappropriate affect, i.e. emotions that are unsuited to the situation. 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.…”