SUBSYNDROMES OF CHRONIC-SCHIZOPHRENIA - A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY

Statistical grouping of clinical symptoms and signs is one method of c lassifying schizophrenia. This study attempted to find factors of symp toms generated through clinical ratings on three scales, namely the Sc ale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS), the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) and the Comprehensive Psychopat hological Rating Scale (CPRS) in a sample of 80 stable chronic schizop hrenics diagnosed by DSM-III-R. It was found that the positive-negativ e dichotomy could not be replicated. Inappropriate affect was found to be a clear misfit in the cluster of negative symptoms. Inclusion of C PRS led to the generation of a factor loading high on depressive and a sthenic items, and this could be clearly distinguished from the factor of negative symptoms. This factor had not hitherto been identified.