Which of the following best describes thought withdrawal delusions?

A. Delusions are a positive symptom of schizophrenia, not a negative symptom. They are false, fixed beliefs that persist despite evidence to the contrary. Common types include persecutory, grandiose, and bizarre delusions. Positive symptoms result from excess dopamine activity in the mesolimbic pathway.

B. Avolition is a negative symptom characterized by a lack of motivation to initiate and sustain goal-directed activities. It leads to difficulties with personal hygiene, work, and social engagement, significantly impairing daily functioning.

C. Apathy is a negative symptom marked by a lack of interest, enthusiasm, or emotional responsiveness. Individuals with schizophrenia may show indifference to social interactions, personal achievements, or daily activities.

D. Alogia (poverty of speech) is a negative symptom where individuals speak less and provide minimal verbal responses. This reflects impaired thought processing and reduced cognitive engagement, common in schizophrenia's mesocortical dopamine pathway dysfunction.

A. Depressed type. Schizoaffective disorder, depressive type, involves schizophrenia symptoms (delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking) along with major depressive episodes. There is no history of mania or hypomania, distinguishing it from the bipolar type.

B. Unspecified type. Schizoaffective disorder, unspecified type, is used when the clinician determines that the patient meets criteria for schizoaffective disorder but does not clearly fit into the bipolar or depressive subtypes.

C. Anxiety type. There is no "anxiety type" of schizoaffective disorder. While individuals with schizoaffective disorder may experience anxiety, it is not a defining feature. Anxiety disorders are separate conditions and do not define a subtype of schizoaffective disorder.

D. Bipolar type. Schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type, is diagnosed when schizophrenia symptoms occur alongside manic or mixed episodes, with or without depressive episodes. This distinguishes it from the depressive type, which lacks manic symptoms.