Analysis of positive and negative symptoms in schizophrenia. A study from a population of long-term outpatients.
Sixty-seven schizophrenic chronic outpatients (DSM-III-R criteria) were examined to study the relationship between symptoms through intercorrelational and factor analysis. Three factors were identified and associated with clusters of symptoms: factor 1 (affective flattening, alogia, avolition-apathy and anhedonia-asociality), factor 2 (formal thought disorder and bizarre behaviour) and factor 3 (hallucinations and delusions). Strong associations between factor 1 and high functional impairment were found. In this population, the segregation of the symptoms could fit into a three-syndrome model, these results agree with findings obtained from samples in which acute symptoms predominated.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology