Clinicians and researchers consider that there are a variety of symptoms that constitute negative symptoms in schizophrenia, and they may use different definitions for the same symptoms. These differences are also reflected in a variety of negative symptom rating scales. Both research and clinical work are negatively affected by the lack of consensus regarding the symptoms that constitute negative symptoms in schizophrenia. Leading research groups have investigated ways to reduce heterogeneity in the domain of negative symptoms in schizophrenia; however, little attention has been paid to regional differences in the concepts of negative symptoms in schizophrenia. The objective of this review was to collect and summarize information about the assessment and treatment of negative symptoms of schizophrenia in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Nineteen experts from 17 countries in CEE participated in this project. The participants collected information about their countries, including the following: (1) the most important publications about negative symptoms in schizophrenia (irrespective of the time of their publication); (2) the most frequently used negative symptom of schizophrenia in clinical practice; (3) definitions of frequently used negative symptoms; and (4) treatment of negative symptoms in schizophrenia. The participating experts/countries most frequently reported the following five negative symptoms: avolition, blunted affect, alogia, asociality, and anhedonia. Several experts also considered other symptoms as belonging to the negative symptom domain, such as a decrease in energy level and changes in personality. The importance of evaluating the long-term course and the relationship between negative symptoms and other symptom domains was also noted. No noticeable differences were reported in the treatment of negative symptoms compared to currently published guidelines and algorithms. The most frequently reported negative symptoms included those defined by the NIMH-MATRICS consensus statement on negative symptoms and recently endorsed in a guidance paper of the European Psychiatric Association. The main differences in the concepts, names, and definitions of primary negative symptoms, especially those related to personality changes, and to the evaluation of the long-term course and relationship between different symptom domains in CEE compared to the current English language literature deserve the attention of psychiatrists and other professionals in this field.

1st Department of Psychiatry University of P J Safarik Medical Faculty and University Hospital of L Pasteur Kosice Slovakia

3rd Faculty of Medicine Charles University Prague Prague Czechia

Clinical Center National Institute of Mental Health Klecany Czechia

Clinical Hospital Centre Zagreb and School of Medicine University of Zagreb Zagreb Croatia

Department for Therapy of Mental Disorders Moscow Research Institute of Psychiatry Moscow Russia

Department of Borderline Psychiatry Institute of Neurology Psychiatry and Narcology of the National Academy of Medical Science of Ukraine Kharkiv Ukraine

Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology Belarusian State Medical University Minsk Belarus

Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology Tbilisi State University Tbilisi Georgia

Department of Psychiatry and Narcology Riga Stradins University Riga Latvia

Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Medical School University of Pécs Pécs Hungary

Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Semmelweis University Budapest Hungary

Department of Psychiatry Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kaunas Lithuania

Department of Psychiatry Medical University of Warsaw Warsaw Poland

Department of Psychiatry Narcology and Neurology of Kazakh Russian Medical University Almaty Kazakhstan

Department of Psychiatry Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin Szczecin Poland

Department of Psychiatry Russian Medical Academy of Continuous Professional Education Moscow Russia

Discipline of Psychiatry Department of Neurosciences University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iuliu Haieganu Cluj Napoca Romania

Faculty of Medicine University of Belgrade and Institute of Mental Health Belgrade Serbia

Medical Psychology and Narcology Department State Medical and Pharmaceutical University Nicolae Testemitanu Chisinau Moldova

Psychiatric Clinic University Hospital Alexandrovska Sofia Bulgaria

University Psychiatric Clinic Ljubljana and School of Medicine University of Ljubljana Ljubljana Slovenia

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