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Developing Concepts in Negative Symptoms

2014; Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.; Volume: 75; Issue: suppl 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.4088/jcp.13049su1c.01

1555-2101

Brian Kirkpatrick,

Mental Health and Psychiatry

Article Abstract Negative symptoms in schizophrenia, such as blunted affect, alogia, asociality, anhedonia, and avolition, remain challenging to treat in many patients, but new concepts may lead to a better understanding of the definition and treatment of these symptoms. The most widely used rating scales for negative symptoms (the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale) were developed in the 1980s, but more recent findings, such as insight into aspects of anhedonia, have led to the creation of new rating scales (the Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms and the Brief Negative Symptom Scale). Clinicians should differentiate between primary and secondary negative symptoms in order to select the best treatment option. Secondary negative symptoms may be caused by comorbid conditions, psychotic symptoms, medication side effects, and substance abuse. On most rating scales, negative symptoms have also been found to load onto 1 of 2 domains, apathy/anhedonia/asociality or diminished expression (blunted affect and alogia). This distinction may facilitate the development of new treatments. From the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno. This article is derived from the planning teleconference series "Measurement-Based Strategies to Assess and Manage Schizophrenia," which was held in August 2013 and supported by an educational grant from Genentech. Dr Kirkpatrick is a consultant for Genentech/Roche and has received other financial or material support from ProPhase. Corresponding author: Brian Kirkpatrick, MD, MSPH, Psychiatry & Behavioral Science, University of Nevada School of Medicine, 1664 N. Virginia St, Mail Stop 0354, Reno, NV 89557-0354 (bkirkpatrick@unr.edu). doi:10.4088/JCP.13049su1c.01 © Copyright 2014 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.