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|Articles|September 6, 2012
Controlling Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia (Video: 2:54 minutes)
Author(s)Peter F. Buckley, MD
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Key Takeaways
- Primary negative symptoms remain a substantial unmet need, in part because of mechanistic overlap with cognitive impairment and limited responsiveness to standard antipsychotic approaches.
- Differentiating primary from secondary negative symptoms is clinically pivotal, since secondary symptoms may improve with optimized treatment of psychosis, mood symptoms, or iatrogenic factors.
Has any progress been made in our ability to manage negative symptoms of schizophrenia?
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What progress has been made in controlling negative symptoms in schizophrenia?
The short answer. . .the management of negative symptoms still remains a substantial challenge. Here, Dr. Peter Buckley explains why these disabling manifestations that overlap with cognitive functioning are a "tough nut to crack." Psychological and medication treatments can help address secondary negative symptoms, such as hyper-religosity, However, in this population, newer drugs, such as clozapine, haven't effected significant change.
Dr Buckley, a noted schizophrenia expert, is Dean of the Medical College of Georgia.
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