The Economic Impact of Cognitive Impairment and Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia: A Targeted Literature Review With a Focus on Outcomes Relevant to Health Care Decision-Makers in the United States

Research on positive symptoms of schizophrenia is well documented; however, cognitive, and negative symptoms of the illness have no approved therapies. Attaining clinical stability is of paramount importance. Nevertheless, outcomes beyond those assessed in clinical trials are also relevant. To better gauge the economic impact of cognitive impairment and negative symptoms of schizophrenia on outcomes pertinent to U.S. stakeholders, our colleagues recently published a targeted literature review. Utilizing EMBASE and Pubmed, spanning a decade, they identified eight studies with data on outcomes of potential interest. Key results suggest that patients with schizophrenia and moderate/severe cognitive impairment had twice as many relapse-related hospitalizations and emergency room visits compared to patients with no/mild cognitive impairment. Furthermore, there was almost a one-and-a-half increase in outpatient visits and inpatient admissions for patients with negative symptoms compared to patients without negative symptoms. This review highlights the need for research on interventions addressing cognitive impairment and negative symptoms of schizophrenia.

Christoph U. Correll, Pin Xiang, Kaushik Sarikonda, Nikhil Bhagvandas, and Matthew Gitlin. The Economic Impact of Cognitive Impairment and Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia: A Targeted Literature Review With a Focus on Outcomes Relevant to Health Care Decision-Makers in the United States, J Clin Psychiatry. August 21, 2024. https://doi.org/10.4088/JCP.24r15316.