Abstract:The neurodevelopmental vulnerability for schizophrenia appears to be expressed across a dynamic continuum of adjustment referred to as schizotypy. This model suggests that nonpsychotic schizotypic individuals should exhibit mild and transient forms of symptoms seen in full-blown schizophrenia. Given that depression and anxiety are reported to be comorbid with schizophrenia, the present study examined the relationship of psychometrically defined schizotypy with symptoms of depression and anxiety in a college student sample (n = 1258). A series of confirmatory factor analyses indicated that a three-factor solution of positive schizotypy, negative schizotypy, and negative affect provided the best solution for self-report measures of schizotypy, anxiety, and depression. As hypothesized, the model indicated that symptoms of depression and anxiety are more strongly associated with the positive-symptom dimension of schizotypy than with the negative-symptom dimension. This is consistent with studies of schizophrenic patients and longitudinal findings that positive-symptom schizotypes are at risk for both mood and non-mood psychotic disorders, while negative-symptom schizotypes appear more specifically at risk for schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. chizotypy | schizophrenia | anxiety | depression | psychology

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natural disasters, interpersonal violence, and sexual abuse are commonplace, their individual contribution to PTSD severity and chronicity remains relatively unknown. The cumulative literature examining the prevalence and impact of trauma suggests that at least two thirds of American adults have experienced at least 1 traumatic event in the course of their lives. 1 Multiple traumas are commonplace as well. 1,2 Exposure to a traumatic event is a risk factor for a host of psychiatric disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It has been estimated that 13% to 17% of Vietnam theater veterans currently suffer from PTSD. 3 In contrast, approximately 1% of Gulf War veterans from Desert Storm have been diagnosed with PTSD. 4,5 In the only published report to date examining rates of PTSD in veterans from the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars, 6 rates of PTSD in these populations were estimated to be 11% in Afghanistan-era veterans and 15% to 17% in Iraq-era veterans. Unfortunately, more than one third of people with

IMPORTANCEPosttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a prevalent and serious mental health problem. Although there are effective psychotherapies for PTSD, there is little information about their comparative effectiveness. OBJECTIVE To compare the effectiveness of prolonged exposure (PE) vs cognitive processing therapy (CPT) for treating PTSD in veterans.

Using ambulatory methods for 1 day of monitoring, the authors of this study investigated the association between smoking and situational cues in 63 smokers with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and 32 smokers without PTSD. Generalized estimating equations contrasted 682 smoking and 444 nonsmoking situations by group status. Smoking was strongly related to craving, positive and negative affect, PTSD symptoms, restlessness, and several situational variables among PTSD smokers. For non-PTSD smokers, the only significant antecedent variables for smoking were craving, drinking coffee, being alone, not being with family, not working, and being around others who were smoking. These results are consistent with previous ambulatory findings regarding mood in smokers but also underscore that, in certain populations, mood and symptom variables may be significantly associated with ad lib smoking.