Relationship between affective temperaments, traits of schizotypal Personality and early diagnosis in a sample of Italian healthy subjects

Abstract

Introduction

Akiskal et al. [1] examined the relationship between affective temperaments and characteristics of schizotypal personality disorder. Schizotypal personality disorder is becoming increasingly important both in itself as a significant personality disorder and as a condition that can provide important insights into the origins of schizophrenia. Perceptual and interpersonal cognitive disorders, behavior and disorganized speech do the schizotypal personality disorder a kind of mild form of schizophrenia, a premorbid or prodromal phase of this serious disorder.

Aims

To analyze, in an Italian sample of healthy subjects, the correlation between affective temperaments and schizotypal traits.

Methods

We recruited 173 healthy subjects aged between 18 and 65 years who have completed the following tests:

– BIS-11;

– SPQ;

– SDS;

– SAS;

– HCL-32;

– TEMPS-A.

Results

At linear regression analysis between TEMPS-A scores and other rating scales are observed highly significant associations between increasing scores of cyclothymic and depressive temperament, subjective anxiety and depression with scores pertaining to the schizotypal personality disorder.

Conclusions

Clinically, a better understanding of the mechanisms that lead to a schizotypal personality could lead to the development of effective preventive and curative treatments in an early stage of symptoms in addition to the identification of subgroups at risk for the development of schizophrenic pathology.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.