Prevalence of depressive symptoms early in the course of schizophrenia

Objective: The rate of depressive symptoms early in the course of schizophr enia was determined. Method: Seventy subjects with recent-onset schizophren ia were followed for 5 years by using semistructured interview instruments. The initial assessment included ratings of each criterion A symptom of a D SM-III-R major depressive episode. The rates of symptoms experienced with a t least moderate severity were calculated, and an algorithm based on DSM id entified subjects meeting the criteria for a major depressive episode. Resu lts: Four symptoms were present to at least a moderate degree in a majority of subjects, while no symptom was present in fewer than 12% of subjects. M ore than one-third of the subjects met the algorithmic criteria for a major depressive episode at the time of intake. Conclusions: Depressive symptoms are common early in the course of schizophrenia. This finding is consisten t with other recent data and has potential implications for current diagnos tic and treatment practices.