POSITIVE VERSUS NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS IN SCHIZOPHRENIA - RESPONSE TO HALOPERIDOL

Diego J. Palao, Alberte Arauxo, Merce Brunet, Manel Marquez, Miquel Be rnardo, Jose Ferrer and Enrique Gonzalez-Monclus: Positive vs Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia: Response to Haloperidol. Prog. Neuro-Psych opharmacol. and Biol. Psychiat. 1994, 18(1): 155-164. 1. Clinical resp onse to treatment with haloperidol was studied in 20 schizophrenic inp atients with acute exacerbation (DSM-IIIR) 2. Patients were assigned t o fixed doses of haloperidol (10,20 or 30 mg/day) for three weeks. Cli nical assessment was made using scales SAPS, SANS, BPRS and Simpson-An gus Scale for rating of extrapyramidal side effects. 3. Sixteen patien ts showed forty per cent or more decrease in positive symptoms assesse d by SAPS, being considered the group of responders. Six out of the tw enty patients showed improvement in negative symptoms assessed by SANS (improvement above 30%). 4. Clinical predictors of response were only identified for SAP;. The group of responders showed higher basal scor es in total scale and formal thought disorder. 5. Negative symptoms re sponsive to treatment were affective flattening and alogia. Improvemen t in negative symptoms was independent from that in positive ones. 6. Socio-demographic predictors of clinical response were not found. No d ifferences in clinical response were found in relation to the dose adm inistered. 7. The results of our study suggest that negative symptomat ology improves in a scheduled treatment with haloperidol. Assessment o f negative symptoms may be useful in the evaluation of treatment of ac ute schizophrenia.