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Psychotic conversion of individuals at ultra‐high risk for psychosis: The potential roles of schizotypy and basic symptoms
Author(s) -
Bang Minji,
Park Jin Young,
Kim Kyung Ran,
Lee Su Young,
Song Yun Young,
Kang Jee In,
Lee Eun,
An Suk Kyoon
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
early intervention in psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.087
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1751-7893
pISSN - 1751-7885
DOI - 10.1111/eip.12518
Subject(s) - schizotypy , anhedonia , psychosis , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , psychology , clinical psychology , schizophrenia spectrum , psychiatry , schizotypal personality disorder
Aim To improve strategies for the early identification of individuals at a heightened risk for the development of psychosis, we investigated the relationships and interactions between 3 psychosis‐proneness dimensions for the development of schizophrenia spectrum psychosis: schizotypy, basic symptoms and the ultra‐high risk (UHR) criteria. Methods Seventy‐seven UHR individuals and 79 healthy controls were assessed for schizotypy and basic symptoms using self‐report questionnaires at baseline. UHR participants were monthly assessed for conversion to psychosis over a mean period of 25.8 months. Results Sixteen UHR participants (20.8%) converted to schizophrenia spectrum psychosis. In stepwise Cox regression, the interaction between basic symptoms and physical anhedonia was selected as a sole predictor of conversion in UHR participants, whereby the self‐reported number of the 8 basic symptoms significantly increased the risk for conversion in those with pronounced physical anhedonia. Conclusion Our findings suggest that questionnaire‐assessed basic symptoms, irrespective of their predictive validity, may predict a psychotic breakdown in pre‐identified UHR individuals who are with genetic vulnerability to schizophrenia. Including all 3 psychosis‐proneness dimensions into prediction models might help establish a more valid pathogenetic model of schizophrenia, and moreover, may provide some clues about course alteration strategies in hopes of preventing UHR individuals from converting to psychosis.