Patterns of sex differences in negative symptoms and social functioning consistent with separate dimensions of schizophrenic psychopathology

When speaking of the symptomatology of mental illness, a distinction is made between what are termed positive symptoms, such as delusions and hallucinations, and negative symptoms, such as emotional deficits and thought disorders. In studying social dysfunction among schizophrenics, opinions differ as to whether its roots lie in negative, positive, or a mixture of both types of symptoms. To further clarify this issue, 151 schizophrenic subjects and their twins were analyzed for the presence of negative and positive symptoms. Significant differences between positive and negative symptoms were not found between male and female schizophrenic subjects. Schizophrenic men had significantly more social problems both before and after onset of their illness than schizophrenic women. Because this was not associated with more negative symptoms, it suggests that disordered social relationships result from separate functional processes in the development of schizophrenia. Based on these findings, the authors suggest that social functioning in schizophrenics should be examined separately from negative symptoms, and not simply included as one component of negative symptomatology. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)