Clinical Features of Youth Depression with Attenuated Symptoms of the Schizophrenic Spectrum

Abstract

Objective: establishment of clinical and psychometric features of youth depression with attenuated symptoms of the schizophrenic spectrum (ASSS) for early differential diagnosis and nosological assessment.Patients and methods: clinical and psychometric examination of young 219 inpatients (average age 19.6 ± 2.4 years), first admitted to the clinic “Mental Health Research Centre” from 2011 to 2020 with the first depressive episode with ASSS. Control group of inpatients (52 patients) with “classical” youth depressions without ASSS (average age 19.6 ± 2.4 years). Diagnosis  according ICD-10: F32.1, F32.2, F32.28, F32.8.Results: the psychopathological structure of youth depression with ASSS is characterized by the following types: (1) depression with attenuated psychotic symptoms (APS), which were divided into the subtype (1a) depression with APS and (1b) depression with brief limited intermittent psychotic symptoms (BLIPS); (2) depression with attenuated negative symptoms (ANS), comprising two subtypes (2a) with most emotional damage and (2b) with volitional impairment, and type (3) with attenuated symptoms of disorganization (ASD) in the structure of depressive episode. Clinical and reliable psychometric differences have been established between depressions with ASSS and «classical» youth depressions without ASSS. Conclusions: youth depression with ASSS is definitely different from “classical” youth depression without ASSS. Differences have been found in  the psychopathological structure of youth depression with ASSS, resulting in a typological differentiation.