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The Positive: Negative Dichotomy in Schizophrenia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

A. M. Mortimer ,
C. E. Lund  and
P. J. McKenna
A. M. Mortimer
Affiliation:
University of Leeds, St Luke's Hospital, Huddersfield HD4 5RQ
C. E. Lund
Affiliation:
Yorkshire Rotational Training Scheme
P. J. McKenna*
Affiliation:
University of Leeds, Fulbourn Hospital, Cambridge CB1 5EF
*
∗Correspondence
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Abstract

Two studies are reported. In the first, of 62 schizophrenic patients, no correlation between negative symptom scores (rated blindly) and any measure of positive symptoms was found. This independence was confirmed by factor and cluster analyses, which left the question of a third ‘disorganisation’ class of schizophrenic symptoms open. In the second study, of 80 patients, formal thought disorder separated unequivocally into ‘positive formal thought disorder’ and ‘alogia’ syndromes on the basis of correlations with positive and negative symptoms. Catatonic motor disorder also showed evidence of a corresponding positive: negative division, although this only emerged when severity or chronicity of illness was controlled for. Cognitive impairment showed a broad range of affiliations and its particular correlation with negative symptoms was perhaps artefactual.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 157 , Issue 1 , July 1990 , pp. 41 - 49
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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