Discerning undifferentiated anxiety from syndromal anxiety in acute-phase schizophrenia

Discerning undifferentiated anxiety from syndromal anxiety in acute-phase schizophrenia

Kalai Naidu, Werdie van Staden, Lizelle Fletcher

Abstract Background Literature on anxiety in schizophrenia is confined to well-established diagnostic syndromes and the diagnostic category of unspecified anxiety disorder has not been quantitatively verified in this population. This study examined whether anxiety that is not differentiated into the well-established syndromes is empirically discernible from syndromal anxiety and no anxiety in acute-phase schizophrenia. Methods After sampling 111 acute-phase schizophrenia patients, they were stratified into three groups: syndromal anxiety; undifferentiated anxiety; and without anxiety disorder. The groups were compared statistically in two data sets on measures for anxiety, psychotic severity, depressive features, akathisia and medication use. Results On two measures of anxiety and for both data sets, the groups were significantly different without evidence of a confounding influence by akathisia, medication, or psychotic severity. The undifferentiated group was different from the syndromal group on the Staden Schizophrenia Anxiety Rating Scale (S-SARS) for both data sets (mean difference = 7.46, p 

2020

Schizophrenia, symptoms, Anxiety disorders, classification, diagnosis

DOI: 10.1186/s12991-020-00277-4

Annals of General Psychiatry

BMC

Psychiatry

EN