Negative symptoms at different stages of schizophrenia development

Results

The study was based on the examination of 331 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (252 patients with a predominant clinical picture of NS, 79 patients with a predominant positive symptoms). Among patients with NS, 83 were included in the first episode group, 88 patients in the exacerbation group, and 81 patients in the remission group. Typical patterns of NS dynamics in schizophrenia were identified, which reflect the sequence of development of clinical manifestations at different stages of the disease and are important for predicting the course and building individualized rehabilitation strategies. In the first episode of schizophrenia, such manifestations as emotional flattening (71.4%, DC=7.84, MI=1.17, p<0.01), decreased initiative (74.2%, DC=7.89, MI=1.18, p<0.01) and general passivity dominated, which were partially reversible, in a number of cases masked by affective disorders. In the acute stage, there was an increase in the severity of abulia (64.9%, DC=6.98, MI=1.02, p<0.01), anhedonia and speech inhibition, reactivity to external stimuli decreased, patients became less involved in interpersonal interaction. In the remission stage, generalization of motivational deficit (82.1%, DC=8.83, MI=1.25, p<0.01), prevalence of apathetic-abulic syndrome, deepening of cognitive inertness (when compared with the first episode of schizophrenia) was noted.