Evaluation of Worry in Patients with Schizophrenia and Persecutory Delusion Compared with General Population

Anxiety and worry may be the key emotions involved in the formation of delusions of persecution, though other affective processes (depression, anger) may have some contribution. Prospective and retrospective clinical studies conducted have shown that in most cases, symptoms of anxiety, worry, depression and irritability preceding the positive symptoms with 2-4 weeks. AIMS: The study was based on the assumption that people with schizophrenia have delusions of persecution show high levels of worry. The research objective was to assess the presence of worry and measure its severity in these patients. METHODS: The study was prospective and naturalistic in which paranoid schizophrenic patients selected were evaluated in a single psychiatric visits at enrollment during 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2011. 120 patients were analyzed in terms of demographics, age of onset of mental illness, duration of illness, severity of delusional ideation, the presence of worry and antipsychotic treatment. The results were compared with a control group consisting of 60 healthy subjects, selected from the medical staff and the hospital auxiliary. RESULTS: The study included 120 patients with schizophrenia paranoid, 84 women (70%), 36 men (30%) women with a mean age of 36.07 years (SD 6.53) and 37.12 years (SD 2.98) in men. Age of onset of mental illness was lower for men (21.23 vs 22.36, p = 0.24). Proved to be statistically significant during the study, which was higher for women (p = 0.001) compared to men. It was a significant difference in worry for patients with schizophrenia and delusional ideation persecution, which was higher than control group (51.98 vs 34.70, p = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Study results shows that the worry is present in clinically significant levels in the group with schizophrenia compared with controls. Concern has an important impact by contributing to the distress associated with delusions in delusional conviction and severity of delusions of persecution.