Depressive symptoms in acute schizophrenia.

1. The incidence of psychopathological symptoms rated by the CPRS was compared in 54 English depressed patients and 52 Swedish depressed patients. 2. A new rating scale for depression was created from the 10 items shown to be most sensitive to treatment change. The Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) was found to be more sensitive to treatment change than the Hamilton Rating Scale (HRS). 3. The incidence of psychopathological symptoms was assessed using the full Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale (CPRS) in 50 patients with unequivocal acute schizophrenia. 36 patients were rated again after treatment and a 12 item rating scale for schizophrenia was derived from the items best able to discriminate between responders and non responders. 4. The schizophrenia scale was found to be a more sensitive discriminator between responders and non responders than the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) in the 25 patients rated on both scales simultaneously. 5. There was a relatively high incidence of depressive symptoms rated on the MADRS in acute schizophrenia suggesting that depressive symptoms are a commoner presenting feature of acute unequivocal schizophrenia than is normally acknowledged.