title: What are depressive symptoms in acutely ill patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Aim was to examine depressive symptoms in acutely ill schizophrenia patients on a single symptom basis and to evaluate their relationship with positive, negative and general psychopathological symptoms.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred and seventy-eight patients suffering from a schizophrenia spectrum disorder were analysed within a naturalistic study by the German Research Network on Schizophrenia. Using the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS) depressive symptoms were examined and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was applied to assess positive, negative and general symptoms. Correlation and factor analyses were calculated to detect the underlying structure and relationship of the patient's symptoms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most prevalent depressive symptoms identified were depressed mood (80%), observed depression (62%) and hopelessness (54%). Thirty-nine percent of the patients suffered from depressive symptoms when applying the recommended cut-off of a CDSS total score of >6 points at admission. Negligible correlations were found between depressive and positive symptoms as well as most PANSS negative and global symptoms despite items on depression, guilt and social withdrawal. The factor analysis revealed that the factor loading with the PANSS negative items accounted for most of the data variance followed by a factor with positive symptoms and three depression-associated factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The naturalistic study design does not allow a sufficient control of study results for the effect of different pharmacological treatments possibly influencing the appearance of depressive symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results suggest that depressive symptoms measured with the CDSS are a discrete symptom domain with only partial overlap with positive or negative symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Nussbaumstrasse 7, 80336 München, Germany. Electronic address: rebecca.schennach@med.uni-muenchen.de.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schennach
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Nussbaumstrasse 7, 80336 München, Germany; Psychiatric Clinic, Vinzenz-von-Paul-Hospital, Rottweil, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Riedel
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Nussbaumstrasse 7, 80336 München, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Obermeier
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Nussbaumstrasse 7, 80336 München, Germany.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Seemüller
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Nussbaumstrasse 7, 80336 München, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jäger
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric Clinic, District Hospital Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schmauss
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric Clinic, Inn-Salzach Hospital, Wasserburg/Inn, Germany.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Laux
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric Clinic, Isar-Amper Hospital, Munich-Haar, Germany.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pfeiffer
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Naber
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University, Duesseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gaebel
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Klosterkötter
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charite Berlin, Campus Benjamin, Franklin, Germany.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Heuser
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Maier
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Alsterdorf Hospital, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Lemke
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rüther
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Klingberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Essen, Essen, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gastpar
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Nussbaumstrasse 7, 80336 München, Germany.
authors.forename: H-J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Möller
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006167:Guilt; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012107:Research Design; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
keywords: CDSS; Correlation analysis; Depressive symptoms; Factor analysis; Schizophrenia