2. Phenomenology 27 administered to a group of 27 schizophrenic patients (according to the DSM-IV criteria) suffering from a broad variety of symptoms and to a control group of normal subjects, matched for age, cogni- tive and sociodemographic variables. Psychopathology in the patients was assessed with the PANSS. Participants drew circles on a writing pad and observed a moving dot on a computer screen that exactly reproduced their movements. At some point, the mapping between the movement and its visual consequences (the movement of the dot) was changed to different extents. Participants were instructed to lift the pen immediately when they detected a change. The rates of errors detected in schizophrenic patients (mean 24.8%; SD 18.5 %) were significantly lower than those of healthy controls (mean 50.3%; SD 6.7%) p= xx. (ANCOVA/ Newman-Keuls). Among the patient groups, the error rates for patients with formal thought disorder (mean SD, P= xx) and hallucinations (mean 14.6%; SD 12.6%) were lower (p < 0.05, ANCOVA/Newman-Keuls) than those for patients without these symptoms (mean 34.3%; SD 18.3%). These results lend support to the notion that defects in self-monitor- ing are involved in the etiology of formal thought disorder and the hallucinations in schizophrenia. Ref.: Frith, C. D. (1992). The cog- nitive neuropsychology of schizophrenia. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.Associates. THE STRUCTURE OF PSYCHOTIC SYMPTOMS IN A COMMUNITY SAMPLE G. W. Stuart,* C. Harvey, H. Herrmann, H. Evert, T. Pinzone, D. C. Copolov Applied Schizophrenia Division, Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria, Melbourne, V1C, Australia In this study, we examined the relationship between symptom ratings collected during the Study of Low Prevalence Disorders, part of the Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing (1997- 1998). The aim of the study was to further test the validity of the "three syndrome" model of psychotic symptoms. A sample of 789 individuals were selected for analysis, all of whom were at the time of assessment experiencing at least one positive symptom of psy- chosis. We examined the co-occurrence of symptoms by computing correlations between the presence/absence of 43 selected symptoms, rated as part of the OPCRIT diagnostic schedule. There were nine groups of symptoms that showed some degree of co-occurrence. Three showed a strong frequency of co-occurrence: 1. Depressive symptoms, including vegetative symptoms 2. Symptoms of mania 3. Auditory hallucinations with affective features. Other groups of symptoms that co-occurred less frequently were 4. Elevated and irri- table mood 5. Blunted affect and poverty of speech 6. Bizarre behav- iour and inappropriate affect 7. Incoherent speech 8. Mood congru- ent delusions 9. Non-affective delusions and hallucinations. These findings did not support the three-syndrome model. Blunted affect and poverty of speech clearly dissociated from vegetative symptoms and depression, but formed only a weak "negative" syndrome. Sim- ilarly, symptoms putatively part of a "disorganization" syndrome dis- sociated, with only bizarre behaviour and inappropriate affect show- ing some relationship. Although non-affective delusions showed a degree of mutual co-occurrence, the correlations were generally very weak. Moderate correlations were observed between (i) persecuto- ry delusions and delusions of influence and (ii) delusions of thought broadcasting, mind reading, and thought withdrawal. Grandiose delusions were not strongly associated with any other type of delu- sion. The mood congruent delusions (guilt, sin, poverty) occurred independently of other delusions and were associated with depres- sive symptoms. This structure within the non-affective delusions/hal- lucinations group was weaker than that previously observed in more acute hospitalised samples. However, the strong dissociation between the different types of delusions and hallucinations means that they do not form a "reality distortion" syndrome in this sample. COMPARISION OF DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS AND PATIENTS WITH MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER T. Szafranski 3rd Department of Psychiatry, Institute of'Psychiatry and Neurology, Warszawa, Poland The aim of the study was to compare depressive symptoms in acute chizophrenia and Major Depressive Disorder. We assessed 105 chronic patients (DSM-1V Schizophrenia) hospitalized due to the exacerbation of their ilness. From this group we selected the group of 41 schizophrenic patients with prominent depressive symptoms (total score of Calgary Depression Rating Scale > 7) and compared them to the group of 40 patients hospitalized with DSM-1V Major Depressive Episode. Patients were assessed on baseline and then after every 2 weeks of treatment with PANSS, Hamilton (HAM-D) and Calgary (CDSS) Scales. Patients with schizophrenia were younger (35.3 _+12.2 vs. 48 _+10.6 years), they had more previous admissions to the hospital (7.5 -+10.5 vs. 2 -+2.2) as well as longer duration of hos- pitalization (12.8 -+7.3 vs. 8.8 -+2.9 weeks), they were also more often single (65.8% vs t7.5%) and unemployed, or on social diasabilty pension (53.7% vs. 22.5%)(atl p< 0.05). There was no difference between the groups on number of sucidal attempts. At baseline HAM-D total score was similar in both groups of patients (31.2 -+9.1 vs. 34.2 -+ 9.4) and after 8 weeks of treatment depressive symptoms were significantly reduced in both groups. During first 6 weeks of treatment significant difference between groups was observed on symptoms: depressive mood, morning depression, early weakening and observed depression (all were scored lower in patients with schiophrenia). After 8 weeks of treatment symptoms of pathological guilt, early weakening and self depreciation were less prominent in group with schizophrenia. In conclusion we found that prominent depressive symptoms were present in 39.1% of patients with acute exacerbation of schizophrenia. This symptoms resolved during treatment with classical antipsychotics. There were differences in the profile of depressive symptoms between depressed schizophren- ics and patients with major depressive episode with less profound lowering of mood and less prominent other melancholic features of depression (early weakening, morning depression) in schizophrenic group. NEUROCOGNITIVE FUNCTIONING AND MOTIVATION TO CHANGE DRUG USE BEHAVIOR IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA S. Thomas-Lollman,* A. S. Bellack, J. S. Gearon, C. DiClemente Psychiatry, University ~?f Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA This study examined the relationship between neurocognitive func- tioning and responses to self-report measures designed to assess a subject's motivation to change drug use behavior. Prochaska and DiClemente's Transtheoretical Model of change (TTM) posits that International Congress on Schizophrenia Research 2003