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Functioning in Middle Aged and Older Patients With Schizophrenia and Depressive Symptoms: Relationship to Psychopathology

From the VA Pittsburgh Health Care System MIRECC and Behavioral Health Service; 7180 Highland Dr., Pittsburgh; Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinics, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, 3811 O'Hara St. Pittsburgh, PA; VA San Diego Health Care System, San Diego; Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, CA; and Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT.

Background: Depressive symptoms are common in middle aged and older patients with schizophrenia. The authors hypothesized that worse functioning in these patients would be associated with worse psychopathology.

Methods: Outpatients with schizophrenia were 40 years old with subsyndromal depression and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale Scores of 8. Exclusions were dementia, two months of either mania or major depression or 1 month active substance abuse/dependence. The authors administered performance based functional assessments, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale of Schizophrenia [PANSS], and Calgary Depression Rating Scale.

Results: PANSS (–) scores were negatively correlated with the UCSD Performance Skills Based Assessment, Social Skills Performance Assessment and Medication Management Ability Assessment total error (MMAA) scores. Digit symbol scores served as a moderator of the relationship between MMAA and PANSS (–) scores.

Conclusions: Negative symptoms were associated with functioning. The relationship between negative symptoms and medication errors seem to weaken in subjects with quicker processing speed.

Key Words: Schizophrenia • functioning • psychopathology • negative symptoms

This article has been cited by other articles:

				T. L. Patterson and P. Harvey Real-World Functioning and Self-Evaluation of Functioning: Brain Structure, Mood State, Functional Skills, and Mortality Am J Geriatr Psychiatry, August 1, 2008; 16(8): 617 - 620. [Full Text] [PDF]