Depressive symptoms at baseline predict fewer negative symptoms at follow-up in patients with first-episode schizophrenia

The relationship between negative symptoms and depression in schizophrenia: a systematic review

“…Thirteen papers reported on samples from in‐patient units (), while nine of the studies examined patients in community settings . One study included participants from both in‐patient and out‐patient units, while the remaining four studies did not provide information on the source of the patient sample . The study sample sizes ranged from 42 to 921 participants, with a total number of 3062.…”

“…The majority of studies used either Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) or the negative subscale of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) to assess negative symptoms; (). Five studies used the negative subscale of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) .…”

“…One study reported on a cross‐sectional and longitudinal arm . An experimental design was used by two studies included in the review; Oosthuizen et al carried out an open‐labelled trial, and Tapp et al conducted a double‐blind experiment. Newcomer et al used a retrospectively drawn sample.…”

“…Five of the 27 studies reviewed recorded the use of antidepressants, with the prevalence of antidepressant use ranging from 3% to 14% . Fourteen reported antipsychotic use (). Majadas et al excluded patients who were taking antidepressant medication, while Newcomer et al sampled patients who were medication naïve.…”

Anxiety and depression symptoms in psychometrically identified schizotypy

“…For example, Drake et al (2004) found that paranoia (a positive symptom) predicted elevated depression in schizophrenia and spectrum disorder patients. Furthermore, positive symptoms of schizophrenia and mood symptoms tend to indicate a better prognosis in schizophrenia, while negative symptoms are associated with a poorer prognosis (e.g., Oosthuizen et al, 2002). The notion that the vulnerability to schizophrenia is expressed across the continuum of schizotypy suggests that schizotypic individuals who do not decompensate may nonetheless experience clinical and subclinical forms of the psychopathology seen in schizophrenic patients, including elevated rates of mood and anxiety symptoms and disorders.…”