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Aim Patients in early phases of schizophrenia or mood disorders with psychotic symptoms have a wide array of metabolic abnormalities. We analysed the potential predictive value of uric acid (UA) levels and other metabolic parameters in first-episode psychosis patients to differentiate between non-affective and affective psychosis. Methods Retrospective chart review of all patients referenced to a first-episode psychosis unit (n = 149), between 2012 and 2017, with available UA levels. Patients included (n = 37) were compared according to the follow-up diagnosis of schizophrenia or mood disorder. Results Mood disorder patients presented higher UA levels (p = .030) and lower fasting blood glucose levels (p = .020) compared with schizophrenia patients. The remaining variables did not show significant intergroup differences. Conclusions Findings in this first-episode psychosis cohort support previous evidence suggesting higher UA levels as a predictor of affective psychosis and glucose dysfunction as predictive of schizophrenia. Further studies are needed to explore metabolic parameters as possible diagnostic predictors in first-episode psychosis.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and related constructs (experiential avoidance, cognitive defusion and committed action) have recently been applied to psychosis. However, with a few exceptions, this application has not resulted in symptom-specific assessment instruments. The current work intends to develop a measure for assessing experiential acceptance regarding delusions (the Willingness and Acceptance for Delusions Scale) and to conduct a preliminary study of its psychometric properties in a sample of 91 patients with a psychotic disorder, mostly male (87%), single (86%), unemployed (44%), presenting with a schizophrenia diagnosis (71%), and currently with delusions (last week – 52%). Exploratory factor analysis yielded a three-factor structure (Acceptance and Action, Non-entanglement and Non-struggling), which adequately fitted the data and reflected the intended constructs within an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy framework. Scores from all factors achieved adequate reliability and were associated with mindfulness and satisfaction with life. These early findings point to the internal and construct validity and reliability of the scores of the WADS. Although further research into the scale’s psychometric properties, particularly construct validity, is needed, its use in research and clinical practice with psychosis populations seems substantiated.

Antipsychotic medication non-adherence is a complex and multifaceted problem that may hinder recovery in psychosis-spectrum disorders. Therefore, it warrants an early and comprehensive assessment. Current self-report measures focus entirely on behavioral and attitudinal barriers to adherence, failing to provide insight about key psychosocial drivers such as shame and stigma that may also account for non-adherence. This study's main goals were to develop a brief scale for measuring antipsychotic (non)-adherence and associated intra and interpersonal barriers (Antipsychotic Medication Beliefs and Attitudes Scale - AMBAS), and explore its psychometric properties. One hundred and seventy participants with a psychosis-spectrum disorder were recruited and filled in a battery of self-report measures. Exploratory factor analysis supported a two-factor solution, with one factor tapping the influence of different barriers to medication adherence and other factor encompassing perceived positive effects of medication. The scale presented good reliability and convergent validity as evidenced by significant moderate associations with the Medication Adherence Rating Scale. Although in need for further study, AMBAS seems a valid and reliable measure to assess antipsychotic (non)-adherence and underlying behavioral and psychosocial drivers. With replication, AMBAS might be a useful measure that could be used in different clinical and research settings.

Background: Delayed diagnosis of bipolar disorder (BD) is common in adolescents and young adults and the search for biomarkers to help in early diagnosis in BD at-risk populations is an important goal of neuroimaging research. Functional connectivity studies in BD patients suggests that anomalous connectivity between prefrontal and limbic regions could be risk biomarkers for BD. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the neuroimaging literature that employed functional connectivity techniques in adolescents and young adults at-risk for BD. Methods: A literature search was conducted using PubMed and EMBASE databases, to identify fMRI studies that em- ployed a measure of functional or e ective connectivity or network based statistics and included individuals at-risk for BD who were in the age range of early-mid adolescence (13–18 years old) and/or young adulthood (19–25 years old). Results: Ten studies focusing on 4 functional imaging domains were identi ed, namely emotion processing, a ective cognition, reward processing and resting-state. Altered functional connectivity between amygdala and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC); amygdala and anterior cingulate cortex and between anterior cingulate cortex, ventrolateral PFC and dorsolateral PFC emerged as putative risk biomarkers. Heterogeneity in BD at-risk samples, tasks and connectivity analysis methods has been identi ed. Conclusions: Youth at-risk for BD have altered functional connectivity in prefrontal-limbic networks supporting emo- tion regulation that might underlie emotion lability and mood dysregulation predisposing to BD. Future longitudinal studies in adolescents and young adults with Bipolar At-Risk criteria are important to establish functional connectivity measures as risk biomarkers.

Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder and one of the leading causes of disease burden worldwide. It represents a source of significant suffering and disability to the affected individuals, and is associated with substantial societal and economical costs. The diagnosis of schizophrenia still depends exclusively on the detection of symptoms that are also present in other mental disorders. This situation causes overlapping of the boundaries of the diagnostic categories and constitutes a source of diagnostic errors. Moreover, current treatment algorithms do not take into account the substantial interindividual variability in response to antipsychotic drugs. As a result, around one-third of patients are treatment-resistant to first line antipsychotic drugs. This deleterious consequence is associated with poor individual outcomes and elevated healthcare costs. Neuroimaging research in schizophrenia has shed some light in a vast array of structural and functional connectivity abnormalities and neurochemical (dopamine and glutamate) imbalances, which may constitute ‘organic surrogates’ of this disorder. However, the neuroimaging field, so far, has not been able to identify biomarkers that could facilitate early detection and allow individualised treatment management. This paper reviews neuroimaging studies from different modalities that may provide relevant biomarkers for schizophrenia. We discuss how the current application of novel Machine Learning methods to the analyses of imaging data is allowing the translation of such findings into potential biomarkers enabling the prediction of clinical outcomes at the individual level, towards the development of innovative and personalised treatment strategies. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Fears of Compassion (FOC) relate to experiencing defensive emotions and avoidance reactions when receiving and giving compassion. Three different flows have been identified: giving compassion to ot...

Although functional recovery could be advocated as an achievable treatment goal, many effective interventions for the treatment of psychotic symptoms, such as antipsychotic drugs, may not improve functioning. The last two decades of cognitive and clinical research on schizophrenia were a turning point for the firm acknowledgment of how relevant social cognitive deficits and negative symptoms could be in predicting psychosocial functioning. The relevance of so cial cognition dysfunction in schizophrenia patients’ daily living is now unabated. In fact, social cognition deficits could be the most significant predictor of functionality in patients with schizophrenia, non-redundantly with neurocogni tion. Emerging evidence suggests that negative symptoms appear to play an indirect role, mediating the relationship between neurocognition and social cognition with functional outcomes. Further explorations of this mediating role of negative symptoms have revealed that motivational deficits appear to be particularly important in explaining the relationship between both neurocognitive and social cognitive dysfunction and functional outcomes in schizophrenia. In this paper we will address the relative contribution of two key constructs—social cognitive deficits and negative symptoms, namely how intertwined they could be in daily life functioning of patients with schizophrenia.

IntroductionThe F-Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale is a widely used instrument to assess perfectionism trait. The original scale comprises 35-items that measure the six dimensions of Frost et al (1990) conceptualization of perfectionism: personal standards (PS), concern over mistakes (CM), doubts about actions (DA), parental criticism (PC), Parental expectations (PE) and Organization (O).ObjectiveTo examine the factor structure of the 24-items short form of the F-MPS using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), in a sample of Portuguese university students.MethodsThe sample comprises 344 university students (68.4% females), with an average age of 20.69 years (SD = 1.59; range = 17–24). They completed a version of F-MPS with 24 items that results from the selection of the four items with highest loadings in the respective six dimensions of the original Portuguese version (Amaral et al., 2013).ResultsAfter correlated errors, we obtained a good fit for the FMPS with six factors (X2/df = 2.125; CFI = .936; GFI = .891, RMSEA = .057; P[rmsea≤ .05] = .043). The 24-item F-MPS short form revealed good internal consistency (α = .825). The six dimensions showed acceptable or good internal consistency, as revealed by Cronbach's alpha (α: PS = .80; CM = .76; DA = .82; PC = .84; PE = .89, O = .85).ConclusionsThe F-MPS 24 items short form CFA confirmed the six factor model as a reliable and valid measure to assess multidimensional perfectionism in Portuguese university students.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

BackgroundEmpowerment has been defined as the ability to act autonomously, the willingness to take risks and being aware of responsibility. The importance of this construct in psychosis has been emphasized by recovery models. An integrant part of the Clinical Interview for Psychotic Disorders (CIPD), the EWPSS is a visual analog scale in which the participants assess their sense of empowerment regarding symptoms (delusions, hallucinations, negative symptoms and disorganization). EWPSS focuses on personal empowerment (self-worth and self-efficacy) as it could apply to symptoms.AimsTo preliminarily assess the psychometric properties of the EWPSS in a sample of participants with psychosis.MethodsThe sample comprised 22 participants (68.2% male), 72.7% single, 50% employed, between 19 and 47 years old (M = 31.05; SD = 7.088), with 4–17 years of education (M = 11.77; SD = 3.176). The most prevalent diagnosis was schizophrenia (68.2%) and the participants had a mean of 1.90 hospitalizations (SD = 2.548). The participants were assessed with the CIPD (EWPSS) and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales-21.ResultsEWPSS has shown acceptable reliability for all dimensions (with alphas ranging between .54 and .78). Empowerment with delusions was associated with the other dimensions, excepting for empowerment with negative symptoms (which in turn was not associated significantly with any dimension). Empowerment regarding hallucinations and with disorganization were only associated with empowerment with delusions, which was also associated with anxiety symptoms (r = –.52, P = .016).ConclusionsThe EWPSS presented adequate reliability and validity. Further studies intended to explore the factorial structure of the EWPSS are under development.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

BackgroundSuicide risk is an important variable to consider both in assessment and throughout the therapeutic process in psychotic disorders. The SRS-P is an 18-item scale computed from the patient and clinician-rated scores obtained in the CIPD. The scale comprises lifetime assessment of depressed mood, anhedonia and its current interference and severity, current and past feelings of hopelessness, suicidal ideation, ‘voices’ about suicide, and suicide-related behaviors.AimsTo assess reliability and convergent validity of the SRS-P in a sample of participants with psychosis.MethodsThe sample comprised 22 participants (68.2% male), single (72.7%), between 19 and 47 years old (M = 31.05; SD = 7.088), with 4–17 years of education (M = 11.77; SD = 3.176), employed (50%). The most prevalent diagnosis was schizophrenia (68.2%) and the participants had a mean of 1.90 hospitalizations (SD = 2.548). The mean age of illness onset was 23.57 years (SD = 5.555). The participants were assessed with the CIPD, Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales-21, Forms of Self-Criticism and Reassurance Scale, Self-Compassion Scale, Other as Shamer Scale and the Empowerment with Psychotic Symptoms Scales.ResultsThe SRS-P has shown good reliability (α = .87) and validity in relation to depressive symptoms (r = .67; P = .001), anxiety (r = .74; P < .001), stress (r = .59; P = .004), inadequate self (r = .43; P = .046), hated self (r = .54; P = .009), reassured self (r = –.65; P = .001), self-compassion (r = –.63; P = .002), shame (r = .46; P = .033) and empowerment regarding positive symptoms (r = –.54; P = .015).ConclusionsThe SRS-P presented adequate reliability and convergent-divergent validity. Further studies are planned in order to test the factorial structure of the scale and confirm the presented results in a larger sample.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Objectives To investigate in non-depressed perinatal women, whichBeck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and Postpartum Postpartum DepressionScreening Scale (PDSS) scores and proportions of symptomatic items significantlydiffer through the perinatal period. Methods 273 women were assessed with the Diagnostic Interviewfor Genetic Studies, BDI-II and the PDSS at the third trimester of pregnancy/T0(mean age =29.42±7.159 years; mean weeks gestation=32.6±3.61),three/T1, six/T2 and twelve/T3 months postpartum. Results Significantlyhigher scores in T0 than in T1/T2/T3 and in T1 than in T2/T3 were found for: Total PDSS, Sleeping-Eating Disturbances, Emotional Liability, Total BDI-II andits dimension Somatic-Anxiety. Only T0 and T1/T2 didnot significantly differ in Anxiety/Insecurity, Mental Confusion, and Loss of Self. In Guilty/Shame only T1 was significantly higher than T3. Suicidalthoughts were significantly higher in T0 than T1 and lower in T1 than T2/T3. Theproportions of symptomatic items systematically and significantly decreased fromT0 to T3 in changes of sleep, loss of interest in sex, feeling overwhelmed. Significantlyhigher symptomatic proportions in T0 than in all post-partum moments were foundfor: loss of energy, irritability, fatigue, changes in appetite, crying, indecisiveness and worthlessness (these last three also higher in T1 than inT3). Agitation was significantly higherin T1 than in T0. All the cognitive-affective symptoms from BDI-II and PDSSdid not differ. Conclusion From pregnancy to the twelfth month postpartum the depressivesymptomatology, particularly somatic-affective symptoms, significantlydecreased. However even for the women who are not clinically depressed, theperinatal period requires considerable psychological adjustment.

IntroductionCollege students are known for their variable sleep schedules. Such schedules, along with other common student practices are associated with poor sleep hygiene. The persistence of the precipitating stressor is one of the factors involved in the persistence of insomnia.AimsTo examine the role of the perceived stress, perseverative thinking, strategies of cognitive emotion regulation and negative affect as predictors of sleep difficulties.MethodsThe sample comprises 549 college students.MeasuresPSS-10, PTQ, CERQ and POMS-58. Three questions were used to access difficulties in initiating sleep (DIS), maintaining sleep (DMS) and early morning wakening (EMA). A Sleep Difficulties Index (SDI) was calculated by summing DIS, DMS and EMA scores.ResultsIn total sample, the multiple linear regression explained 27.7% of the SDI total variance (R2 = .277, F(9, 375) = 15,942, P < .0001). The significant predictors of the total variance of SDI were perceived distress (B = .246, P = .0001), repetitive thought (B = .189, P = .005), cognitive interference and unproductiveness (B = −.188, P = .006), rumination (B = .130, P = .044) and negative affect (B = .156, P = .018).ConclusionsPreventive interventions focused on predictor factors (perceived stress, perseverative thinking, rumination and negative affect) should be considered in order to promote better mental health in college students.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

IntroductionThe FMPS is a 35-item self-report questionnaire to measure perfectionism. It evaluates: concern over mistakes/CM, doubts about actions/DA, parental criticism/PC and expectations/PE, personal standards/PS and organization/O.ObjectivesTo develop a shortened version of FMPS and study its internal consistency, the construct, concurrent and divergent validity.MethodsOne hundred and ninety-two university students (78.1% females), aged 19.74 years (sd = 2.10) completed the Portuguese versions of the: FMPS, Hewitt and Flett MPS/H&FMPS, Life Orientation Test Revised/LOT-R, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory/STAI, and Profile of Mood States/POMS.ResultsCorrelations between each item and corrected FMPS total scores/corrected total subscales scores were ≥ 0.20 for the items 13, 15, 25, 31, 35 and 10, 2, 25, and 26, respectively. The internal consistency of FMPS was high (α: .857) with 32 items contributing for this consistency (exceptions: 13, 25 and 31). The principal component analysis of the 35 items with factors varimax rotation was performed. The three items with higher loading in each factor that also contributed to the FMPS reliability were selected for the FMPS shortened version (FMPS-18). The principal component analysis of the 18 items with factors varimax rotation showed that six factors explained 74.6% of FMPS-18 total variance. These factors revealed adequate internal consistency (α: O = 0.740; PC = 0.859; PE = 0.847; PS = 0.726; CM = 0.740; DA = 0.832; total = 0.768). Convergent correlations between FMPS and the matched FMPS-18 scores were 0.839 to 0.971 (all P < .01). Correlations of the FMPS-18 and FMPS with H&F-MPS, STAI, LOT-R and NA/PA scores were of similar significance and valence.ConclusionFMPS-18 is a brief, reliable and valid instrument to measure perfectionism.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

IntroductionDespite the empirical support for the effects of mindfulness based interventions for recurrent depression (Velden et al., 2015), the literature on the relation between Mindfulness and Lifetime History of Depression/LTHD are scarce.ObjectiveTo compare Mindfulness levels between women with vs. without LTHD and to analyze if mindfulness dimensions are significant predictors of LTHD.MethodsOne hundred and twenty-seven pregnant women (mean age: 32.56 ± 4.785 years) in their second trimester of pregnancy (17.34 ± 4.790 weeks of gestation) completed: Facets of Mindfulness Questionnaire-10 (FMQ10; Azevedo et at. 2015) assessing the dimensions non-judgement of inner experience/NJ, ACt with awareness/AA and observe and describe/OD; a new self-report questionnaire developed to evaluate the presence of LTHD, with several “Yes/No” questions, based on DSM-5 criteria for depression.ResultsNinety-seven (23.0%) women had LTHD. Bisserial Spearmen correlations between LTHD and FMQ scores were significant, negative and moderate (> .30, P < .01); only OD did not significantly correlated with LTHD. Independent sample T-test revealed that women with vs. without LTHD had significantly higher levels of total FMQ-10, NJ and AA (all P < .001). Logistic regression analysis showed that the model containing FMQ-10 explained 12.7–18.8% of the LTHD variance and correctly classified 77.9%; the OR was of 1.19 (95% CI .801–.886; Wald = 44.504; P < .001). The model composed by NJ and AA explained 15.5–23% and correctly classified 76.5%. NJ OR was of 1.23 (CI .734–.884; Wald = 20.806; P < .001) and AA OR was of 1.41 (CI .708–.903; Wald = 13.004; P < .001).ConclusionsOur research discloses that less mindfulness abilities enhances the probability of having lifetime history of depression.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

IntroductionWe have recently found that Perfectionism and Perseverative Negative are both correlates of psychological distress/PD and that PNT mediates the relationship between perfectionism and PD (Macedo et al., 2015).ObjectivesTo investigate if perfectionism and PNT are prospectively associated to PD and if PNT is a longitudinal mediator between perfectionism and PD, controlling for perceived stress and gender.MethodsA total of 227 university students (80.1% girls) filled in the Portuguese validated versions of Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire (PTQ), Multidimensional Perfectionism Cognitions Inventory (MPCI), Profile of Mood States and Perceived Stress Scale, with an additional item to evaluate perceived social support/PSS at T0 and after approximately one year (T1) (Mean months = 12.77 ± 1.137). Only variables significantly correlated with the outcomes (Tension/Anxiety at T1 and Depression at T1) were entered in the conditional process analysis. The moderating role of perceived support on the link between Concern over Mistakes (MPCI) and psychological distress and between PTQ total score and psychological distress (anxiety and depression separately) was examined via conditional process analyses.ResultsThe estimated models were significant (F = 4.257, P = .002; F = 6.476, P < .001) explaining 15.9% of tension-anxiety and 25.5% of depression variance. A significant conditional indirect effect of PTQ total score on psychological distress at average and higher levels of perceived support was found, in both models (anxiety and depression). On the contrary, the two models showed a non-significant conditional direct effect of Concern over Mistakes on psychological distress only at any level of perceived support.ConclusionPNT prospectively mediates the relationship between negative perfectionism and PD.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Introduction Thyroid disease may contribute to mental illness, and thyroid dysfunction in psychiatric illness is common. However, the exact mechanism underlying the link between thyroid abnormalities and psychiatry illness is unclear, and the routine use of thyroid tests to assess psychiatric patients remains debatable. There are no specific guidelines about witch tests should be routinely done, however psychiatrists should be aware that thyroid test abnormalities do not always denote thyroid disease, because there are many factors that interfere with these tests at newly admitted psychiatric patients. Aims To review evidence about the clinical utility and cost-effectiveness of thyroid screening in psychiatric inpatients. Methods Searches were undertaken in PubMed and other relevant databases using keywords such as 'thyroid screening', 'psychiatric' and 'inpatients'. Results Recent data suggests that clinical utility of thyroid testing in psychiatric patients is low, but in some subgroups of patients thyroid tests may be useful. In fact, there are few studies of cost-effectiveness of thyroid screening in psychiatric inpatients. Therefore clinicians have to pay attention to indications of request thyroid tests, to the moment of thyroid analyses and that transient nature of abnormal thyroid tests results may be a reflection of multitude of factors. Conclusions The diagnostic yield of thyroid testing in psychiatric patients is low, and recent studies do not fully support routine screening for thyroid dysfunction in psychiatry inpatients. However, the benefits of thyroid screening of newly admitted psychiatric patients should be evaluated in prospective studies.

Introduction Postpartum depression (PPD) can occur through all the perinatal period and it is a public health problem. Positive and negative affect (at pregnancy and previous postpartum moments) are protective and risk factors for PPD. The Profile of Mood States (POMS) factor structure at pregnancy and three months postpartum has already been explored. Objective to explore the POMS factor structure at six and 12 months postpartum. Methods 336 women (mean age=30,3; SD = 4,09; range=19-42 years) and 276 women (mean age=30,5; SD=3,99; range=19-41 years), respectively, filled in the Profile of Mood States (POMS), at six and 12 months postpartum. Results A principal components analysis revealed, at six months postpartum, three components that explained 54,12% of the total variance: F1 Depression-Hostility (21 items; 39,5% explained variance/EV); F2 Anxiety-Anger/fatigue (14 items; 10,1% EV) and F3 Vigor-Activity (12 items; 4,8% EV); at 12 months postpartum, revealed also three components, that explained 46,16% of the variance: F1. Anxiety-anger/fatigue (13 items; explained 30,4% of the variance); F2. Depression-Hostility (6 items; 11,2% VE); F3. Vigor-Activity (14 items; 2,9% EV). At both postpartum moments, F1 and F2 can be summed to calculate Negative Affect (Cronbach Alpha, α=0,968 at six months and α=0,948 at 12 months). F3 corresponds to Positive Affect (α=0,863; α=0,875, respectively, at six months and 12 months). Conclusions The POMS factor structure at six and 12 months is robust, meaningful and can now be used to explore different aspects of the postpartum experience, at these postpartum moments.

Olfactory dysfunction (OD) is relatively specific to schizophrenia (SZ) and its negative symptoms (Schecklmann et al., 2013). Similarly to what is known for Alzheimer Disease, OD identification may predict transition to clinical disorder in high-risk individuals for SZ, being potentially one of the most viable risk biomarkers identified (Turetsky et al, 2012). Research suggests that abnormalities in SZ extend to more peripheral olfactory structures including neuroepithelial dysfunctional processes (Rupp, 2010). Olfactory bulb mitral cells synapses with neuroepithelium, retrieving information throughout the olfactory tract to primary olfactory areas and other regions involved in crucial functions impaired in SZ, such as emotion regulation and executive planning, namely amygdala, hippocampus or orbitofrontal cortex. Olfactory bulb and olfactory tract lay bellow the basal forebrain, modeling the olfactory sulcus. MRI findings revealed significant decreasing in olfactory bulb volume and shallower olfactory sulcus in SZ patients. These structural changes are stable over time and are correlated with worst olfactory performances (Takahashi et al., 2013). Interestingly, Turetsky et al (2009) observed that those patients had normal orbital sulci. Shallower olfactory sulcus is often a result of an early embryogenesis disturbance. The orbital sulcus, which does not develop until the third trimester, is relatively immune to early insults. These differences reinforce the heuristic value of the neurodevelopmental hypothesis for SZ: at least for olfactory structures, disruption might begin in a defined temporal window – the first half of gestation. This revision highlights the potentialities of investigating OD in SZ as an useful insight for clinicians and researchers.

Humans have been shown to be particularly sensitive to dynamic information processing. When simple animations are shown which, moreover, is compatible with biological and/or social events, perception obeys that biological and/or social interpretation. Likewise, when the animation is compatible with a physical event (mechanical causality), the correspondent causal structure is brought to awareness. The perception of these events is, in sum, direct, irresistible and automatic. Although perception of causality impairments are well documented in clinical populations (e.g. autism), literature is short in studies on this matter in schizophrenia. Both control and schizophrenia groups were shown a set of animations featuring two squares moving in the same direction. Relative distances and movements were systematically manipulated so that a continuous variation between physical, social and independent events was achieved. In each trial, one of those animations was displayed at random and the subjects asked to identify which of three possible causal structures (“physical”, “social” or “independent”) best matched the event seen. Schizophrenics were less prone to provide social causality responses, but more inclined to independent or physical causality perceptions. Moreover, the physical to social causality threshold was shown to be higher for schizophrenic patients. Taken as a whole, these results suggest an apprehension deficit in social events perception in schizophrenic patients.