DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN ACUTE SCHIZOPHRENIC INPATIENTS

Prospective and longitudinal assessment of depressive, positive, and n egative symptoms were performed on 86 newly admitted schizophrenic pat ients. The improvement of depressive symptoms was significantly correl ated with the improvement in positive symptoms, but did not correlate with the improvement in negative symptoms. However, depressive symptom s were heterogeneous. Principal components analysis was used to subdiv ide depressive symptoms into five factors. The improvement of the depr ession-anxiety factor was significantly associated with improvement of positive symptoms. On the other hand, improvement of negative symptom s was significantly related to that of the reduced activity factor. Th e change in hypochondriasis had a significant positive correlation wit h the change in positive symptoms and had a significant negative corre lation with the change in negative symptoms. Changes in the other fact ors of depressive symptoms did not appear to be associated with change s in positive or negative symptoms. The present findings suggest that the various depressive symptoms associated with acute schizophrenia ma y have different pathophysiological origins.