Three syndrome concept of schizophrenia. A factor analytic study.

One hundred and fifty-five DSM-IIIR schizophrenic patients were assessed for positive and negative symptoms using Andreasen's Scale for Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS) and the Scale for Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS). Interrelationships of individual positive and negative symptoms were examined using a factor analysis. Results of the factor analysis are consistent with Liddle's proposition that there are three syndromes underlying symptomatology in schizophrenia: disorganization; psychomotor poverty and reality distortion.