Axis I anxiety disorders are often comorbid in psychoses and mostly assessed during the hospitalization. In the present study anxiety comorbidity was investigated in 98 patients (with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder with psychotic features) previously hospitalized for psychotic symptoms.

Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder Fourth Edition (SCID-P), Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and Clinical Global Impressions Scale (CGI), were performed during hospitalization (t0) and subsequently in a phase of clinical remission, lasting for at least 6 months besides a stable pharmacological treatment for at least 3 months (t1). Comorbid anxiety disorders were assessed only at t1 in order to avoid the influence of an acute clinical state.

Our sample confirmed that anxiety comorbidity is a relevant phenomenon in psychoses, being present in nearly half of the patients (46.9%). Our specific prevalences were: obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) 20.4%, panic disorder (PD) 24.5%, social anxiety disorder (SAD) 19.4%, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) 2%, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 0%. In our sample, patients with schizophrenia had a rate of anxiety disorders (73.9%) significantly higher (p<.05) than those with schizoaffective disorder (31.6%) or bipolar disorder (41.1%). Patients with PD or with OCD showed higher severity of illness only at t0; on the contrary, those with SAD demonstrated greater severity at t1.

PD, OCD and SAD resulted frequently comorbid in psychotic patients; SAD more prevalent in schizophrenia with a negative impact on the course of the illness.