Depressive and anxiety symptoms among schizophrenia patients

Depressive and anxiety symptoms commonly manifested throughout the progression of schizophrenia. However, the prevalence of these symptoms, alongside their co-occurrence, remains uncertain, and clinical correlates remain elusive.

This study seeks to investigate the prevalence of such symptoms and their demographic and clinical associations among patients diagnosed with schizophrenia.

The study included 19,623 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia based on the ICD-10 criteria. Participants were recruited from community-dwelling patients registered in the local health system in Hangzhou of China between August 1 and October 30, 2022.

The prevalence rates of depressive and anxiety symptoms, as well as their co-occurrence, were determined to be 19 % (95%CI = 18.5-19.6 %), 37.4 % (95%CI = 36.8-38.0 %), and 17.7 % (95%CI = 17.2-18.2 %), respectively. Patients prescribed quetiapine, olanzapine, and risperidone exhibited significantly lower prevalence rates of these symptoms (P < 0.01). Spearman's correlation analysis revealed a significant correlation between depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms (r = 0.60, P = 0.006). Additionally, age, social relationships, and sleep status were significantly associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms, and their co-occurrence, in both univariate and multivariate analyses.

Given the pervasive nature and detrimental consequences of these symptoms among individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia, comprehensive evaluation and implementation of efficacious interventions are highly recommended.