Differential effects of high-dose amisulpride versus flupentixol on latent dimensions of depressive and negative symptomatology in acute schizophrenia: an evaluation using confirmatory factor analysis.

While many acutely ill schizophrenic patients suffer from depressive symptoms, most studies on the efficacy of antipsychotic drugs focus on positive and negative symptoms. Dimensional models of schizophrenic symptoms, based on confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using structural equation modelling, offer a methodological alternative to compare antipsychotics on empirically justified latent factors. The present report is a refined analysis of a published double-blind study on the D 2 /D 3 -selective antagonist amisulpride (ASP) versus the mixed D 1-5 /5-HT 2 antagonist flupentixol (FPX). CFA was applied to Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms, Bech-Raf…