Everyday functioning describes how someone manages the activities that make up ordinary life. These include self-care, household responsibilities, relationships, education, employment and community participation. Disorganisation can make these activities harder even when individual skills remain…Continue Reading
Conviction is the strength with which a belief is held. Insight includes the ability to recognise an experience as potentially related to illness or to consider explanations other than the most immediate one. These qualities…Continue Reading
Reduced movement in catatonia can range from unusual stillness to stupor, in which the person shows very little spontaneous activity or response to the environment. Someone may remain in one position for a long time…Continue Reading
Suspiciousness is a tendency to question whether others have hidden or harmful intentions. It can be understandable after betrayal, discrimination or danger. In psychosis, suspicion may become unusually intense, spread to unrelated situations or persist…Continue Reading
Mutism means an absence or marked reduction of speech. In catatonia, a person may stop speaking despite apparently intact speech organs and may also show changes in movement or responsiveness. Silence alone does not establish…Continue Reading
Threat perception is the process of identifying possible danger and deciding how urgently to respond. It normally protects people, but can become overly sensitive. In paranoia, ambiguous situations may feel threatening even when there is…Continue Reading
Posturing in catatonia involves maintaining a position for an unusually long time, sometimes against gravity. Rigidity refers to increased resistance to movement. Other examination findings include catalepsy and waxy flexibility, in which a position imposed…Continue Reading
Social cues include facial expressions, tone of voice, gestures and the context of a conversation. Most are ambiguous and require interpretation. During paranoia, laughter may seem mocking, a glance may feel like surveillance or a…Continue Reading
Catatonia can involve excessive movement as well as immobility. Excitement may appear purposeless and not clearly driven by the surrounding situation. Repetitive movements, unusual mannerisms or repeated speech may occur. Echolalia involves repeating another person’s…Continue Reading
Stress and sleep disruption can influence the intensity of paranoid thinking. Tiredness may reduce concentration, increase emotional reactivity and make ambiguous events harder to interpret. Worry can then interfere with sleep, creating a cycle in…Continue Reading