A schizophrenic may laugh at a very serious statement such as "Your mother died this morning." This is representative of
A) a cognitive disturbance.
B) delusional reactance.
C) disorganized emotion.
D) a catatonic episode.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This behavior is indicative of disorganized emotion, where the patient's emotional responses are not appropriate or do not match the situation. Schizophrenia often causes emotional flatness or inappropriate laughing or crying in response to certain stimuli. A cognitive disturbance or delusional reactance may also be present in schizophrenia, but this particular behavior is not representative of those symptoms. A catatonic episode is characterized by a lack of movement or responsiveness, which is not present in this scenario.

A Schizophrenic May Laugh at a Very Serious Statement Such