Psychopathology and aggressive behavior
Aggressive patients had a higher BPRS mean score
than non-aggressive patients (Table 3). The differences
were significant, with a positive association for all
components, except for withdrawal-retardation.
Aggressiveness was associated with psychomotor
agitation, somatic anxiety and exaggerated self-esteem,
in the group of activating symptoms. It was also
associated with hostility, suspiciousness and conceptual
disorganization, in the thinking disorder component.
Although aggressive patients had higher withdrawal-
retardation scores, they were less willing to cooperate in
the interview and had fewer negative symptoms, such
as psychomotor retardation. In addition, aggressive
individuals had fewer depressive symptoms (depressive
mood and feelings of guilt).
We also compared the BPRS scores between hostile
(verbally aggressive and aggressive against objects)