Which assessment best differentiates schizophrenia from a primary psychotic disorder?

• A. Disorganized speech.
• B. Disorganized behavior.
• C. Auditory hallucinations.
• D. Negative symptoms.

Answer: (D)

Negative symptoms are deficits in normal function that tend to be prominent and persistent in schizophrenia, such as flat affect, reduced motivation (avolition), poverty of speech (alogia), and social withdrawal. This pattern persists over time and contributes to significant functional impairment, making it a distinguishing feature from other primary psychotic disorders, where acute positive symptoms like delusions or hallucinations may be prominent but negative symptoms are less pronounced or shorter in duration. While disorganized speech, disorganized behavior, and auditory hallucinations can occur in schizophrenia, they are not as specific to differentiating it from other primary psychotic disorders as the persistent negative symptoms are.