Increased stress reactivity: a mechanism specifically associated with the positive symptoms of psychotic disorder

Abstract

Patients with a 'psychotic syndrome' with high levels of positive symptoms and low levels of negative symptoms show increased reactivity to stress in daily life, indicating that stress reactivity is a possible risk factor underlying this syndrome.

Bullying victimisation and paranoid ideation in people at ultra high risk for psychosis

“…These observations support the concept of a causal, dose-response relationship between victimisation and the risk and severity of psychotic symptoms (Bebbington et al, 2013, Lataster et al, 2013, although in the present study prolonged bullying was not associated with an increased level of paranoid ideation. Future work could investigate any cumulative effect of other forms of victimisation and adversity and the tendency for paranoid ideation in the VR environment, as well as the relation between adverse experiences and neurobiological abnormalities in the emergence of psychotic symptoms.…”

Social defeat predicts paranoid appraisals in people at high risk for psychosis

“…Previous research has shown a link between stress reactivity and momentary increases in positive symptoms when exposed to daily stressor (Myin-Germeys et al, 2005), which was specifically related to positive psychotic symptoms (Lataster et al, 2013). Further work exploring the interplay between these factors (social defeat, baseline positive symptoms, and 'in the moment' paranoid ideation during the VR), would allow a better understanding of the elements that are critical to the processes underlying the experience of people at UHR in the VR environment.…”

The neural diathesis-stress model of schizophrenia revisited: An update on recent findings considering illness stage and neurobiological and methodological complexities

“…Recent research has also demonstrated a relationship of higher perceived stress with depression and positive symptoms in both at-risk samples (Pruessner et al, 2011, Tessner et al, 2011, Palmier-Claus et al, 2012, Devylder et al, 2013, Cullen et al, 2014a and first episode psychosis patients (Raune et al, 2006, Lataster et al, 2013. However, as noted above, elevated stress levels may be secondary to illness related factors, rather than causal.…”