Depressive symptomatology in the course of schizophrenia - A six months follow-up study

Introduction: In recent years it has become clear that depressive symptoms are common in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. Methods: This six-month prospective study examined the temporal relationship between the onset of depressive and psychotic symptoms and established the prevalence and possible prognostic significance of the depressive symptoms. The sample included 90 schizophrenic patients diagnosed by DSM III-R criteria who were assessed three times during their hospitalization (within the first 2 days of admission, a week later, and at discharge) and two times as outpatients (three and six months after hospitalization). Results: Almost half (39/90, 43%) of the patients presented depressive symptomatology. The highest prevalence of depressive symptoms (37%) was within the first days of admission and the lowest (12%), at discharge. Among the 39 depressive patients, 59% presented the depressive symptoms during the psychotic exacerbation and 41% during the postpsychotic phase. Depressive symptoms from the psychomotor and interpersonal relationships spheres were not significantly more frequent in depressive schizophrenic patients. Conclusions: These findings suggest that in many patients, depressive symptoms might be an integral part of the schizophrenic illness.