Prevalence of depressive symptoms early in the course of schizophrenia.

Abstract

The rate of depressive symptoms early in the course of schizophrenia was determined. Seventy subjects with recent-onset schizophrenia were followed for 5 years by using semistructured interview instruments. The initial assessment included ratings of each criterion A symptom of a DSM-III-R major depressive episode. The rates of symptoms experienced with at least moderate severity were calculated, and an algorithm based on DSM identified subjects meeting the criteria for a major depressive episode. Four symptoms were present to at least a moderate degree in a majority of subjects, while no symptom was present in fewer than 12% of subjects. More than one-third of the subjects met the algorithmic criteria for a major depressive episode at the time of intake. Depressive symptoms are common early in the course of schizophrenia. This finding is consistent with other recent data and has potential implications for current diagnostic and treatment practices.