Depressive symptoms in patients with schizophrenia

Introduction Depression is common among patients with schizophrenia and is associated with a wide range of poor outcomes, including psychotic relapse and suicide. The aim of the study is to evaluate the presence of depressive symptoms in patients with schizophrenia and to compare depression intensity in schizophrenic patients and patients with depressive disorder. Methods In this cross sectional study were included 40 patients from both genders. Patients were divided in 2 groups: (1) examined group: 20 schizophrenic patients who presented depressive symptomatology. Depressive symptoms-evaluated with the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. Inclusion criteria: schizophrenic disorder by ICD-10 (F20.0-F20.9), total score higher than 7 on the HRSD-17 and age between 25 and 65; (2) control group: 20 patients with depressive disorder. Inclusion criteria: recurrent depressive disorder by ICD-10 (F33.0-F33.9), total score higher than 7 on the HRSD-17 and age between 25 and 65. Psychiatric rating scales for clinical evaluation of prominence of symptomatology: 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD-17) and PANSS (Positive And Negative Syndrome Scale). Results The prevalence of patients with depressive symptoms among the schizophrenic patients was 45% i.e. out of 20 evaluated patients with schizophrenia, 9 showed depressive symptoms. The total score in the remaining 11 patients on the HRSD-17 was lower than 7 and they were excluded. Difference between the two groups for gender difference was not statistically significant. Conclusions The percentage of patients with depressive symptoms among the patients with schizophrenic disorder was 45%. Schizophrenic patients more frequently presented mild and moderate depression in comparison to the control group. In the majority of subjects with schizophrenia and depressive symptoms positive schizophrenic symptomatology was predominant. Disclosure of interest The author has not supplied his/her declaration of competing interest.