[Depressive states during the clinical treatment of 280 schizophrenic inpatients (author's transl)].

Abstract

Only a few studies have investigated the frequency and reasons for depressive states during the clinical treatment of actual schizophrenic psychoses. The constructs used--pharmacogenic depression, postpsychotic depression, akinetic depression etc.--are not well defined and not empirically based. There are contradictory results about the frequency and the course of depressive states during the clinical treatment. We tried to collect informations concerning this problem by analysing the data of 280 acutely schizophrenic inpatients treated with neuroleptics. The data were obtained using standardized rating scales. The ratings were performed by the treating psychiatrists (Inpatient Multidimensional Psychiatric Scale) and by the patients themselves (Clinical Selfrating Scales). The mean scores of depressive syndromes decreased between admission and discharge. On admission 48% of the patients showed a marked depressive apathetic syndrome, only 17% at discharge. Most of the patients, who suffered from a depression at discharge, already had a depressive syndrome of the same or greater intensity on admission. 56% of the 237 patients, who filled out the "acute mood scale", showed a relatively long depression during the clinical stay. These depression were overrepresented in those patients who already suffered from depression on admission. Only 41% of the 237 patients developed a depression without having had depressive mood on admission. The newly developed depressions could possibly be regarded as caused by neuroleptics. However also morbogenic and psychoreactive factors must be taken into consideration to explain these depressions.