[Depressions in schizophrenic patients after the management of acute psychosis].

The study of depressions in 183 schizophrenic patients after the management of acute psychosis included evaluation of depressive symptoms, their relation to other psychopathologic syndromes, and the efficiency of drug therapy. The Calgary scale (CDSS) was used to assess severity of depression in schizophrenia along with other standardized psychometric scales to characterize general psychopathologic, positive, and negative symptoms, locomotor disturbances, other concomitant disorders, and general clinical picture. The predominance of depressive conditions with adynamic symptoms was documented. The majority of depressions occurred after the first attack. Those developing in the early post-attack period differed from depressions within a few months after the reduction of psychosis. Syndromic nature of depressions was evident from the number of psychotic episodes experienced by the patients. Depressive symptoms that developed after the management of the acute psychotic state could be efficiently and safely relieved by additional differential treatment with antidepressants. Depressive symptoms in schizophrenia are not predictors of poor prognosis provided the patient receives adequate therapy. More attention is needed to identification and adequate treatment of depression in schizophrenia. Optimized therapy of affective disorders in schizophrenic patients permits to improve prognosis of the disease.