title: The use of antidepressants for negative symptoms in a subset of schizophrenic patients.
abstract: The authors used a randomized, placebo-controlled design to assess the therapeutic efficacy of adjunctive imipramine, added to fluphenazine decanoate and benztropine, among well-stabilized, negative-symptom schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder patients who additionally met operationalized criteria for postpsychotic depression. The outcome of the imipramine-treated group was superior in both global ratings and a specific negative-symptom scale. Exacerbation of psychotic symptomatology was not found to be problematic. The implications of this study are discussed in terms of a potential strategy for pharmacotherapy among certain negative-symptom patients and in terms of its relevance to a possible pathophysiological basis for the negative-symptom state.
authors.affiliation: Hillside Hospital Division, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, Glen Oaks, NY 11004.
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Siris
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Bermanzohn
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Mason
authors.forename: C V
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Shuwall
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents