Relationships between depression and psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia during an acute episode and stable period

The aim of the present study is to explore the relationship between depression and psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia over the course of illness. Sixty-eight patients meeting DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia were enrolled, 27 in an acute episode, 41 when stable. Assessments were performed using the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS) for depression and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) for psychotic symptoms. When considering patients in an acute episode (52% depressed), the CDSS score was correlated only with the PANSS positive sub-scale score. For patients in the stable period (38% depressed), the CDSS score was correlated with positive as well as negative and general psychopathology sub-scale scores. Hence, the relationship between depression and other symptoms of schizophrenia appear to differ during different stages of illness.