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Testing trait depression as a potential clinical domain in schizophrenia
Joshua Chiappelli1, Peter Kochunov1, Katherine DeRiso1
1Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Schizophrenia Research
|August 31, 2014
Summary
Persistent depression, termed trait depression, is more common in schizophrenia patients and linked to psychosis severity. Surprisingly, higher trait depression correlated with better cognitive and functional outcomes in schizophrenia.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Neuroscience
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) conceptualizes depression as a dimension of psychosis.
- Schizophrenia is characterized by psychosis and several persistent, trait-like deficits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if trait depression is a distinct clinical feature in schizophrenia.
- To examine the relationship between trait depression, psychosis, cognitive function, functional capacity, and white matter integrity in schizophrenia.
Main Methods:
- 126 individuals with schizophrenia and 151 controls completed the Maryland Trait and State Depression questionnaire.
- A subset underwent assessments of cognition, functional capacity, and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).
Main Results:
- Patients with schizophrenia exhibited significantly higher trait depression than controls.
- Higher trait depression scores were associated with increased psychosis severity.
- Individuals with higher trait depression showed fewer cognitive and global functioning deficits.
- Trait depression scores positively correlated with white matter fractional anisotropy.
Conclusions:
- Trait depression represents a clinically relevant domain in schizophrenia care.
- It demonstrates unique associations with psychosis, cognitive function, and white matter integrity.
- Trait depression may contribute to the clinical heterogeneity observed in schizophrenia.
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