Despite being the psychotic disorder archetype, schizophrenia prognosis is paradoxically not based on successful psychosis treatment but on the severity of the negative and cognitive symptoms, which are still poorly understood. The 2023 themed issue of the BJPsych is devoted to the negative symptoms of schizophrenia, and organised in sections about clinical presentation and psychometrics, pathophysiology and pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment. The three guest editors for the themed issue, leading figures in the field, will review the published papers in the themed issue and will offer an overview of the controversies and challenges in each section.
Dr Kirkpatrick will discuss the manuscript regarding phenomenology and clinical aspects of negative symptoms, Pr Mucci will review the new findings regarding the pathophysiology of negative symptoms, and Dr Lee will review the new evidence of treatment for negative symptoms.
Chair: Emilio Fernandez-Egea, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
Brian Kirkpatrick, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Arkansas, USA
Armida Mucci, University of Campania, Naples, Italy
