Impact of Yogic Intervention on Negative Symptoms of Male Schizophrenic Patient

Abstract:

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a 6-week structured yogic intervention on negative symptoms in a patient with schizophrenia, aged 26 years, from a rehabilitation center in Pune. The case was chosen deliberately using a non-probability based purposive sampling technique. The study focused on alogia (restricted speech quantity), blunted affect (reduced range of emotion), asociality (reduced social drive), and anhedonia (reduced interests). To determine the severity of negative symptoms of psychosis and schizophrenia, an interviewer-administered questionnaire, the Negative Symptoms Assessment-4 developed by Larry D Alphs and published in 2010, was employed. This instrument is an abbreviated version of the NSA-16 questionnaire. The four-item NSA-4 is a clinician-administered instrument that evaluates behaviors including restricted speech and reduced emotions, social drive, and interests using a 7-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (no evidence of negative symptoms) to 7 (extremely severe symptoms). The pre-test score obtained was 4 (moderate evidence), while the post-test score was 2 (minimal evidence). Pre- and post-intervention assessments demonstrated significant improvement, suggesting yoga as an effective complementary therapy for managing negative symptoms.