Search

Years of accumulating research show high schizophrenia comorbidity with panic anxiety. Recent research has shown that auditory hallucinations have paroxysmal onset, concurrent with abrupt onset panic anxiety in patients with schizophrenia who hear voices. Fixed-dose adjunctive alprazolam or clonazepam (antipanic benzodiazepines) can substantially relieve positive and negative symptoms and panic in some schizophrenia cases. Clinical experience and limited research suggest a more uniform and pronounces benefit in patients with schizophrenia who also have panic premorbidly, concurrently, and/or with voices. Although more research is needed, there could be a distinct panic psychosis diagnosis. This is consistent with an evolutionary theory postulating five core psychoses. With appropriate medication and skilled psychotherapy, many can improve to their premorbid baseline and remain there for extended periods. Perhaps the major impediments to clinical improvement are the difficulty of diagnosing panic in psychosis, failure to use fixed dose and sufficient clonazepam, and limited use of skilled psychotherapy. [ Psychiatr Ann . 2018;48(12):561–565.]

Aim: The following work aims to investigate the putative correlation between early trauma and cognitive functions, as well as psychotic symptoms and cognitive functions, in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia. Methods: A quantitative assessment was performed with 20 individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia according to the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5) criteria and who were in ongoing outpatient treatment in Psychosocial Care Centres in Brazil. Clinical measurements comprised a semistructured clinical interview, a screening questionnaire for common mental disorders, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), and the Early Trauma Inventory Self-Report-Short Form (ETISR-SF). Cognitive assessment included Beta III test, Concentrated Attention (CA) test, Color Trails Test (CTT), and Visual Face Memory (VFM) test. Results: Age-adjusted analysis showed a negative correlation between early trauma and visual memory performance (r = -0.585, p = 0.007) and negative symptoms and attention performance (r = -0.715, p = 0.000). Conclusion: Although a cause-effect relationship cannot be firmly stated, an association between early trauma experience and cognitive impairment such as visual memory, as well as a relationship between negative symptoms and attention domains, is suggested by our preliminary findings. Future studies with larger sample sizes and prospective design will clarify the long-term effects of early exposure to trauma and its clinical meaning in terms of developing psychotic-related illness.