Pattern of positive, negative and general psychopathological symptoms among schizophrenia patients at primary care...

To investigate the patterns of positive, negative and general psychopathology symptoms on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale among a variety of schizophrenia patients.

The cross-sectional study was conducted at the Institute of Behavioural Sciences, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, in 2016-17, and comprised schizophrenia patients aged 18-52 years registered with the institute regardless of gender, socioeconomic class, marital status and severity of the diseases. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale was administered after one month of psychotropic medication. SPSS 21 was used for data analysis.

:Of the 104 patients, 62(59.6%) were males; 42(40.4%) were single; 45(43.3%) were married; 17(16.3%) were divorced/separated; 31(29.8%), belonged to low social class; 35(33.7%) to middle; and 38(36.5%) to upper class. Patients' scores were significantly different between in door and out-door patients (p<0.05); between patients who had come with single or multiple episodes (p<0.05), and between patients with acute and chronic phases of illness (p<0.05) in terms of positive, negative and general psychopathology symptoms.

Out-door patients, those with multiples episodes and chronic illness were found more vulnerable compared to in-door patients, those with single episode and acute illness.