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Symptoms of psychoses. A factor-analytic study
T Kitamura1, Y Okazaki, A Fujinawa
1Department of Sociocultural Environmental Research, National Institute of Mental Health, Chiba, Japan.
The British Journal of Psychiatry : the Journal of Mental Science
|February 1, 1995
Summary
This study analyzed symptoms in 584 psychiatric patients, finding that while positive, negative, manic, and depressive symptoms align with current understanding, catatonic symptoms form a distinct syndrome, and formal thought disorders are linked to negative symptoms in psychotic disorders.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
- Psychopathology
Background:
- Previous research on psychotic disorders primarily focused on positive and negative symptoms in schizophrenia.
- Limited statistical analysis existed for affective and other symptom clusters within broader psychotic conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationships between positive, negative, and affective symptoms in a diverse group of psychotic disorders.
- To statistically analyze symptom patterns beyond the traditional schizophrenia framework.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 584 psychiatric patients from 95 Japanese mental hospitals was studied.
- Patients exhibited at least one of: delusions, hallucinations, formal thought disorder, catatonic symptoms, or negative symptoms.
- Factor analysis was employed to identify underlying symptom structures.
Main Results:
- Factor analysis revealed five distinct symptom clusters: manic, depressive, negative/formal thought disorder, positive (psychotic), and catatonic symptoms.
- Formal thought disorders were statistically associated with the negative symptom group.
- Catatonic symptoms emerged as a separate, identifiable syndrome.
Conclusions:
- Major symptoms in psychotic patients can be categorized into positive, negative, manic, and depressive groups.
- Catatonic symptoms represent a distinct syndrome within the spectrum of psychotic disorders.
- Formal thought disorders are integrated within the negative symptom dimension.