Prevention of disorders has become a central element of psychiatric research and clinic. Currently, Ultra High Risk (UHR) criteria are internationally recognized for psychiatric risk assessment. Self Disorders (SD) aroused particular interest because they were found to be specific to schizophrenic spectrum disorders and a marker of vulnerability for psychotic onset.

To evaluate the correlation between psychotic risk and depressive symptoms in at-risk adolescent population.

We collected data from 80 patients, aged 14-18, with sufficient skills in the Italian language and an IQ ≥70, excluding patients with disorders related to direct effects of a general medical condition or substance. Psychodiagnostic evaluation included K-SADS-PL, SIPS/SOPS, EASE (for the assessment of SDs) and the CDSS (for the assessment of Depression).

35 subjects have UHR criteria, while 45 do not have a psychotic risk syndrome or psychotic features. Between the two groups there is a significant difference in the total SCORE of EASE, in domains 1, 2 and 5. In addition, a positive correlation between SDs and depressive symptoms emerged, in particular with pathological guilt and with reference ideas of guilt.

The results confirm the validity of SDs for early detection of psychosis. Depressive features appear to be associated with the presence of abnormalities of experience. This results suggest a close care and monitoring of depressive symptoms in adolescence, because they can mask disorders of different nature, particularly pathological guilt and guilty ideas of reference that are depressive “cognitive” symptoms more correlate with psychotic risk.

No significant relationships.

Trait-like anomalies of subjective experience have been empirically identified as schizophrenia-specific markers of vulnerability in several clinical and genetic high-risk populations. Recently, Parnas and colleagues have identified and preliminarily explored a composite score (i.e. Self-Disorder Scale, SDO) within the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) that approximates such construct). SDO differs from the MMPI psychoticism scale, and includes presents items very similar to Self Disorder investigated by EASE (Examination of Anomalous Self-experience).

This study is a confirmatory analysis of the correspondence of Self-Disorder Scale (SDO) of the MMPI with some items of EASE, in a population of adolescents. These items are present in psychotic and in at risk mental state subjects.

We administered MMPI and EASE to 34 help seeker adolescent patients and correlate all dimensions of MMPI with EASE total score and its domains.

MMPI SDO scores significantly correlated with schizophrenia-spectrum diagnosis and high-risk mental states.

SDO is an MMPI analogous of Self Disorders and can be used as a useful screener to detect patients at potential risk for schizophrenia spectrum disorders, that could be further explored with the EASE.

No significant relationships.

Self-disorders (SDs) have been described as a core feature of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. Previous studies conducted on heterogeneous clinical adult and adolescents samples demonstrated that SDs aggregate selectively in the schizophrenia spectrum disorders compared to other disorders.

To examine the specificity of SDs for schizophrenia spectrum disorders in adolescent inpatient sample.

Fifty-five adolescent inpatients admitted to the Child Psychiatry Unit at the Sapienza University in Rome were assessed for psychopathology using Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS-PL), Structured Interview for Prodromal Syndromes (SIPS/SOPS),Examination of Anomalous Self-Experiences (EASE), Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC), Calgary depression scale for schizophrenia (CDSS)

Patients, aged 14-18 years, were divided in four diagnostic groups: schizophrenia spectrum disorders (5 pts.), mood disorders (19 pts.), anxiety disorders (27 pts.) and other disorders (4 pts.). Frequency of self-disorders was different among the 4 groups. Including patients schizotypal personality disorder in the schizophrenia-spectrum disorder group, the difference is still significant. Mann-Whitney U test shows no differences between EOP and UHR patients in SD. Furthermore, correlations between EASE total score and Calgary and MASC total scores were significant.

Our results confirm the specificity of SDs for schizophrenia spectrum disorders and also the belonging of schizotypal personality disorder to schizophrenia-spectrum.

Depression is very common in adolescent patients and impacts on their quality of life and functioning. Indeed, depression is an important clinical aspect for treatment, outcome, and prognosis.

This pilot study investigated the factorial structure of the Calgary depression scale for schizophrenia (CDSS) in a sample of help seeking adolescent patients, stratified in three clinical diagnostic subgroups: early onset psychosis (EOP), clinical high risk (UHR) and clinical control (CC). The relationships between these factors and SIPS domains and subjective experiences were also explored.

Sixty-nine subjects were examined to assess the severity of depressive symptoms and the degree of subjectively felt cognitive-affective vulnerability (i.e. basic symptoms)

Principal component analysis revealed CDSS to include two main factors, namely: “guilty idea of reference-pathological guilt” (factor I), “depression-hopelessness” (factor II). Two factors revealed multiple correlations with SIPS domains and subjective experiences.

The results confirm the dual factorial structure of CDSS previously reported in the literature in adult samples, further increase our knowledge of the psychopathological components of depression in adolescents, and strongly suggest that CDSS can also be used in early diagnostic settings

No significant relationships.