A Case Study on Acupuncture in the Treatment of Schizophrenia

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 286-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peggy Bosch ◽  
Heike Staudte ◽  
Maurits van den Noort ◽  
Sabina Lim
Keyword(s):  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Negative Symptoms ◽  
Acupuncture Treatment ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Clinical Intervention ◽  
Chronic Schizophrenia ◽  
Diagnostic Interview ◽  
Registration Number ◽  
Positive And Negative Symptoms

This report describes the use of acupuncture as an add on treatment for a patient with chronic schizophrenia. The 63-year-old woman suffered from persistent hallucinations and even physical pain as a result of the hallucination of a black bird that kept pecking her back. The patient received 12 weekly acupuncture treatments. A clinical diagnostic interview and psychological testing (on sleep quality, depression, and on positive and negative symptoms) were conducted before, immediately after and 3 months after the acupuncture treatment. The results of the diagnostic interview gave important insights into the treatment effects. The patient experienced improved daily functioning and noticed a change in hallucinations. Although the hallucinations still occurred, she felt less disturbed by them. Interestingly, pain decreased markedly. In addition, the results showed that the overall score of the positive and negative symptoms did not change immediately; however, a decrease in symptoms occurred 3 months after acupuncture treatment. Moreover, the patient described an immediate improvement in sleep; this was confirmed by a daytime sleepiness questionnaire. The patient was not able to complete a (longer) test on sleep quality beforehand but did so after the treatment period. Finally, a delayed improvement in the depression scale was found. Although larger clinical intervention studies on acupuncture and schizophrenia are needed, the results of this case study indicate that acupuncture may be beneficial as an add on treatment tool in patients with schizophrenia. Trial registration number 3132.

Three Syndromes in Chronic Schizophrenia

1989 ◽  
Vol 155 (S7) ◽  
pp. 119-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.F. Liddle ◽  
Thomas R.E. Barnes ◽  
D. Morris ◽  
S. Haque
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Clinical Features ◽  
Negative Symptoms ◽  
Chronic Schizophrenia ◽  
Brain Abnormalities ◽  
Brain Abnormality ◽  
Schizophrenic Patients ◽  
Extensive Body ◽  
Positive And Negative Symptoms

In recent years, exploration of the distinction between positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia has provided a fruitful basis for attempts to relate the clinical features of schizophrenia to the accumulating evidence of brain abnormalities in schizophrenic patients. By 1982, there was an extensive body of evidence supporting the hypothesis that negative schizophrenic symptoms, such as poverty of speech and flatness of affect, were associated with substantial brain abnormalities, such as increased ventricular to brain ratio, and extensive cognitive impairment (Crow, 1980; Andreasen & Olsen, 1982). However, at that stage there were several fundamental unanswered questions about the nature of negative symptoms, and their relationship to indices of brain abnormality. This paper presents some findings of a series of studies initiated in 1982 to seek answers to some of these questions.

Rumination, Depressive Symptoms and Awareness of Illness in Schizophrenia

2012 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil Thomas ◽  
Darryl Ribaux ◽  
Lisa J. Phillips
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Negative Symptoms ◽  
Chronic Schizophrenia ◽  
Social Consequences ◽  
Stable Phase ◽  
Negative Thinking ◽  
The Social ◽  
Positive And Negative Symptoms

Background: Depressive symptoms are common in schizophrenia. Previous studies have observed that depressive symptoms are associated with both insight and negative appraisals of illness, suggesting that the way in which the person thinks about their illness may influence the occurrence of depressive responses. In affective disorders, one of the most well-established cognitive processes associated with depressive symptoms is rumination, a pattern of perseverative, self-focused negative thinking. Aims: This study examined whether rumination focused on mental illness was predictive of depressive symptoms during the subacute phase of schizophrenia. Method: Forty participants with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and in a stable phase of illness completed measures of rumination, depressive symptoms, awareness of illness, and positive and negative symptoms. Results: Depressive symptoms were correlated with rumination, including when controlling for positive and negative symptoms. The content of rumination frequently focused on mental illness and its causes and consequences, in particular social disability and disadvantage. Depressive symptoms were predicted by awareness of the social consequences of mental illness, an effect that was mediated by rumination. Conclusions: Results suggest that a process of perseveratively dwelling upon mental illness and its social consequences may be a factor contributing to depressive symptoms in people with chronic schizophrenia.

Relationship Between Childhood Trauma and Psychotic Symptoms in Patients with Schizophrenia

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S269-S269
Author(s):  
E.E. Kılıçaslan ◽  
A. Esen ◽  
M. Izci Kasal ◽  
E. Ozelci ◽  
B. Murat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Childhood Trauma ◽  
Stepwise Regression ◽  
Negative Symptoms ◽  
Depressive Symptomatology ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Psychotic Symptoms ◽  
Positive Symptoms ◽  
Childhood Trauma Questionnaire

IntroductionThe association between childhood trauma and psychotic symptoms is still not clearly understood. Findings for positive and negative symptoms are confounding. This symptomatic response may differ according to the type of childhood trauma, for example childhood abuse was associated with positive symptoms while childhood neglect was associated with negative symptoms.ObjectivesThis study examined the relationship between childhood trauma and psychotic symptoms in schizophrenic patients after controlling for the possible confounding factors, such as clinical features, depression, and sleep quality.MethodsThe childhood trauma questionnaire – short form, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia, Pittsburgh sleep quality index, and the suicidality subscale of mini-international neuropsychiatric interview were administered to 199 patients with schizophrenia. We used sequential multiple stepwise regression analyses in which positive symptoms, negative symptoms, overall psychopathology and total symptoms of schizophrenia were dependent variables.ResultsDepressive symptomatology and childhood physical abuse (CPA) significantly contributed to positive, negative, general psychopathology and global schizophrenia symptomatology. Stepwise regression analysis results are presented in Table 1.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that CPA during childhood could have an impact on psychopathology in schizophrenia.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

scholarly journals Insight, positive and negative symptoms, hope, depression and self-stigma: a comprehensive model of mutual influences in schizophrenia spectrum disorders

2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 271-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Schrank ◽  
M. Amering ◽  
A. Grant Hay ◽  
M. Weber ◽  
I. Sibitz
Keyword(s):  
Negative Symptoms ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Positive Symptoms ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum ◽  
Stigma Of Mental Illness ◽  
Relevant Variables ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Positive And Negative Symptoms

Aims.Insight, positive and negative symptoms, hope, depression and self-stigma are relevant variables in schizophrenia spectrum disorders. So far, research on their mutual influences has been patchy. This study simultaneously tests the associations between these variables.Methods.A total of 284 people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders were assessed using the Schedule for the Assessment of Insight, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Integrative Hope Scale, Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale and Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness scale. Path analysis was applied to test the hypothesized relationships between the variables.Results.Model support was excellent. Strong and mutual causal influences were confirmed between hope, depression and self-stigma. The model supported the assumption that insight diminishes hope and increases depression and self-stigma. While negative symptoms directly affected these three variables, reducing hope and increasing depression and self-stigma, positive symptoms did not. However, positive symptoms diminished self-stigma on a pathway via insight.Conclusions.This study provides a comprehensive synopsis of the relationships between six variables relevant for schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Research implications include the need to investigate determinants of consequences of insight, and the sequence of influences exerted by positive and negative symptoms. Clinical implications include the importance of interventions against self-stigma and of taking a contextualized approach to insight.

Positive and negative symptoms in chronic schizophrenia: A 1-year follow-up study

1990 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 72
Author(s):  
C.L. Cazzullo ◽  
P Boato ◽  
E Gianpieri ◽  
G.M. Gidobio ◽  
G Invernizzi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Negative Symptoms ◽  
Chronic Schizophrenia ◽  
Follow Up Study ◽  
Positive And Negative Symptoms

scholarly journals Neural correlates of positive and negative symptoms through the illness course: an fMRI study in early psychosis and chronic schizophrenia

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucy D. Vanes ◽  
Elias Mouchlianitis ◽  
Krisna Patel ◽  
Erica Barry ◽  
Katie Wong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Symptom Severity ◽  
Negative Symptoms ◽  
Neural Circuits ◽  
Chronic Schizophrenia ◽  
Early Psychosis ◽  
Positive Symptoms ◽  
Precentral Gyrus ◽  
Initial Development ◽  
Positive And Negative Symptoms

Abstract Psychotic illness is associated with cognitive control deficits and abnormal recruitment of neural circuits subserving cognitive control. It is unclear to what extent this dysfunction underlies the development and/or maintenance of positive and negative symptoms typically observed in schizophrenia. In this study we compared fMRI activation on a standard Stroop task and its relationship with positive and negative symptoms in early psychosis (EP, N = 88) and chronic schizophrenia (CHR-SZ, N = 38) patients. CHR-SZ patients showed reduced frontal, striatal, and parietal activation across incongruent and congruent trials compared to EP patients. Higher positive symptom severity was associated with reduced activation across both trial types in supplementary motor area (SMA), middle temporal gyrus and cerebellum in EP, but not CHR-SZ patients. Higher negative symptom severity was associated with reduced cerebellar activation in EP, but not in CHR-SZ patients. A negative correlation between negative symptoms and activation in SMA and precentral gyrus was observed in EP patients and in CHR-SZ patients. The results suggest that the neural substrate of positive symptoms changes with illness chronicity, and that cognitive control related neural circuits may be most relevant in the initial development phase of positive symptoms. These findings also highlight a changing role for the cerebellum in the development and later maintenance of both positive and negative symptoms.

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