Negative symptoms can mimic depression because they involve:

• A. They involve decreased motivation, reduced emotional expression, and social withdrawal.
• B. They involve increased energy and euphoria.
• C. They involve improved social functioning.
• D. They involve exaggerated positive symptoms.

Answer: (A)

Negative symptoms in schizophrenia are deficits in normal functioning, such as reduced motivation, blunted emotional expression, and social withdrawal. These features can resemble depression, because both involve a drop in drive and engagement with the world. When someone has diminished motivation (avolition), less affective expression (flat affect), and avoids social interaction, it can look like depressive symptoms like low energy, anhedonia, and withdrawal.

The other descriptions don’t fit: increased energy and euphoria point to mania, not negative symptoms; improved social functioning would be the opposite of what negative symptoms show; and exaggerated positive symptoms refer to hallucinations or delusions, which are not the deficits captured by negative symptoms.