Clinical Symptoms of Schizophrenia Assessed Using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS)

Abstract

Introduction. Lang Linguist Compass. 2010;4(8):576-589. doi:10.1111/j.1749-818X.2010.00216.x 9. Kirkpatrick B, Fenton WS, Carpenter WT Jr, Marder SR. The NIMHMATRICS consensus statement on negative symptoms. Schizophr Bull. 2006;32(2):214-219. doi:10.1093/schbul/sbj053 10. Foussias G, Remington G. Negative symptoms in schizophrenia: Avolition and Occam’s Razor. Schizophr Bull. 2010;36(2):359– 369. doi:10.1093/schbul/sbn094 11. Bobes J, Garcia-Portilla MP, Bascaran MT, et al. Quality of life in schizophrenic patients. Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2010;12(4):577588. doi:10.31887/DCNS.2010.12.4/jbobes 12. Buchanan RW. Persistent negative symptoms in schizophrenia: an overview. Schizophr Bull. 2007;33(4):1013-1022. doi:10.1093/ schbul/sbl057 Clinical Symptoms of Schizophrenia Assessed Using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) Oyunchimeg N1,2, Nasantsengel L2, Sarantuya J1 Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, School of Biomedicine, MNUMS, National Center of Mental Health Mongolia E-mail: Oyunchimegn99@gmail.com, Tel: +976-99195559 Background: Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder of endogenous origin, characterized by the coexistence of prominent positive and negative symptoms and a chronic course. It typically begins during adolescence or early adulthood, leading to disturbances in cognition, thought processes, and emotional regulation, which subsequently result in loss of daily functioning and impairment in social adaptation. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical manifestations of schizophrenia using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and to determine the severity levels of positive, negative, and general psychopathological symptoms. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the National Center for Mental Health between December 2016 and December 2019. A total of 102 patients with schizophrenia, aged 20 to 66 years, who were under active outpatient follow-up, were included in the study. Clinical symptoms were assessed using the PANSS. Results: Of the 102 participants, 51% (n=129) were female, with a mean age of 40±12 years. The distribution of positive, negative, and general psychopathological symptoms showed that 21–24% were in the mild to moderate range. Notably, 23% of patients presented with severe negative symptoms, such as blunted affect, social withdrawal, and reduced motivation, indicating that these features are particularly prominent in advanced stages of schizophrenia. Positive symptoms were found to be mild to moderate in 15–24% of patients, suggesting that hallucinations and delusions are more pronounced during the early course of the illness but tend to decline as the disease progresses. General psychopathological symptoms were observed in 12–22% of patients, remaining relatively stable across all severity levels. Conclusion: In the early stages of schizophrenia, positive symptoms predominate, whereas in the advanced stages negative symptoms become more prominent. General psychopathological symptoms appear consistently across all levels of severity. These findings highlight the importance of evaluating both positive and negative dimensions when assessing the clinical course of schizophrenia.