Clinical Report: Volatility priors may reveal delusion severity in schizophrenia

Overview

This study found that elevated expectations of environmental volatility were associated with greater delusion severity among patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders over a 6-month period.

Background

Delusions are a core feature of psychotic disorders. This study explores the role of volatility priors in tracking delusion severity among patients recovering from acute psychotic episodes.

Data Highlights

Key Findings

• Higher volatility priors were observed in patients with schizophrenia compared to nonclinical participants at baseline.
• Volatility priors tracked greater clinician-rated delusion severity over time among patients.
• Delusion severity, paranoia, and delusional ideation decreased among patients at 6 months.
• Volatility priors remained elevated in patients compared to nonclinical participants throughout the study.
• Associations between volatility priors and delusions were stronger for persecutory delusions than for grandiose delusions.

Clinical Implications

The findings indicate that volatility priors could be a metric for assessing delusion severity in clinical settings.

Conclusion

This study highlights the association between volatility priors and delusion severity in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.

Related Resources & Content

1. Sheffield JM, et al., Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, 2023 -- Volatility priors may reveal delusion severity in schizophrenia
2. BMC Psychiatry (Springer) — From collective memory to clinical cases: analyzing political delusions in patients with psychotic disorders
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5. Psychiatry.org - Schizophrenia
6. Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) — Artificial Intelligence Centrality in Psychotic Delusions and Violence Risk in Forensic Psychiatry: Retrospective Observational Study of Judicial Decisions
7. Psychiatry.org - Schizophrenia
8. Continuing, reducing, switching, or stopping antipsychotics in individuals with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders who are clinically stable: a systematic review and network meta-analysis - PubMed
9. Prior Expectations of Volatility Following Psychotherapy for Delusions: A Randomized Clinical Trial | Psychotherapy | JAMA Network Open | JAMA Network