Towards a Unified Model of Depression in Schizophrenia

Liam Alexander MacKenzie Myles

Abstract


Schizophrenia affects approximately 1% of the population. The Salience Hypothesis represents a highly influential theory of schizophrenia and argues that individuals with schizophrenia assign greater salience to stimuli, causing redundant stimuli to appear novel and significant. Whilst the Salience Hypothesis provides a comprehensive account of hallucinations and unusual beliefs, it fails to account for commonly co-occurring symptoms, such as depression. This paper argued that the Salience Hypothesis can be extended to account for depression in schizophrenia, as elevations in the salience of contextual stimuli may attenuate individuals’ perceived control, culminating in an increased risk of depression.


Keywords


Associative Learning; Clinical Psychology; Depression, Perceived Control; Salience Hypothesis; Schizophrenia.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.13129/2282-1619/mjcp-4501

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