Ž . Psychiatry Research 77 1998 121130 Psychopathological dimensions in schizophrenia: a correlational approach to items of the SANS and SAPS Albert Shi-Kwang Lin a , Chun-Houh Chen b , Hai-Gwo Hwu c,  , Hsin-Nan Lin c , Jih-An Chen d a National Taiwan Uni®ersity, College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, 7 Chung-Shan South Road, Taipei, Taiwan 100, People’s Republic of China b Institute of Statistical Science, Academia Sinica, Taipei Taiwan, People’s Republic of China c Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, National Taiwan Uni®ersity, Taipei Taiwan, People’s Republic of China d Institute of Mathematical Statistics, National Chung-Cheng Uni®ersity, Taipei Taiwan, People’s Republic of China Received 22 April 1997; revised 1 May 1997; accepted 9 October 1997 Abstract Seventy DSM-III schizophrenic patients were assessed for positive and negative symptoms using Andreasen’s Ž . scales for the assessment of positive and negative symptoms SANS and SAPS on admission. The correlation structure of the items in the SANS and SAPS was explored in dimension and item levels by use of correlation plots through a distinct analytical method displaying the proximity matrix. The results revealed at least three major dimensions of symptoms delineated as Negative Symptoms, Disorganized Thoughts and Delusions and Hallucina- tions. The latter two dimensions were derived from the SAPS, while Negative Symptoms comprised most of the items in the SANS. Items in Disorganized Thoughts were more correlated to Negative Symptoms than to the other items in the SAPS. ‘Loss of ego boundary’ delusions and experience of auditory hallucinations appeared as two sub-clusters in the group of Delusions and Hallucinations. The relative independence of persecutory, grandiose, religious, somatic and reference delusions gives support to the concept that paranoid schizophrenia stands as a distinct clinical subtype of schizophrenia. The graphical method introduced here well expresses the information of correlation matrix and is useful for exploring inter-item or inter-cluster associations.  1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. Keywords: Positive symptoms; Negative symptoms; Disorganized thoughts; Correlation  Corresponding author. Tel.: q886 2 3970800, ext. 6785; fax: q886 2 3753663; e-mail: haigohwu@ha.mc.ntu.edu.tw 0165-1781r98r$19.00  1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. Ž . PII S0165-1781 97 00150-9