Psychiatria pre prax 3/2020

Self-evaluation of negative symptoms in schizophrenia as a useful tool improving cooperation with schizophrenia patients

Negative symptoms of schizophrenia represent deficits in different domains of symptoms; they are inherently present in patients’ subjective experiences with schizophrenia. Primary negative symptoms have reflected an integral part of the schizophrenia disorder process and symbolize an unmet need for treatment. Anyhow, they can be reliably evaluated and measured. Most of the scales on negative symptoms in schizophrenia are constructed on an “objective” observer rating. In contrast, the self-assessment process in patients with schizophrenia has been ignored on a long-term basis. The Self-report of Negative Symptoms (SNS) is a short 20-item scale encompassed of short, simple, and easy to understand sentences. Its three answer choices permit self-evaluation under five minutes. The five basic negative dimensions (asociality, affective blunting, anhedonia, avolition, alogia) are self-evaluated, and patients can report any deficits in motivation and pleasure and their loss of emotion independently of depressed mood. A part of this article, three case reports, illustrates the usefulness of the SNS questionnaire accompanied by unique graphic presentations of results.

Keywords: schizofrénia, negatívne príznaky, sebaposudzovanie