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. 2006 Mar 24;12(2):92–104. doi: 10.1002/mpr.146

PROD‐screen – a screen for prodromal symptoms of psychosis

M Heinimaa 1,✉, RKR Salokangas 1, T Ristkari 1, M Plathin 1, J Huttunen 1, T Ilonen 1, T Suomela 1, J Korkeila 1, TH Mcglashan 2
PMCID: PMC6878465  PMID: 12830303

Abstract

The aim of this study was to describe the PROD‐screen, an instrument for screening prodromal symptoms indicating risk for psychotic conversion in the near future. PROD‐screen consists of 29 questions assessing performance and symptoms.

Clinical construct validity was tested by comparing scores from the unselected general population (GP, n = 64) with those of general psychiatric patients from a community mental health centre (CMHC, n = 107). The concordant validity of PROD‐screen for prodromal symptoms of psychosis was assessed in a large epidemiologically mixed sample of research subjects (n = 132) by comparing PROD‐screen scores with the prodromal diagnosis made by Structured Interview for Prodromal Symptoms as a gold standard.

Using the cut‐off point of 2/12 specific symptoms, PROD‐screen gave correct classification of prodromal status in 77% of cases, distinguishing prodromal from non‐prodromal subjects with reasonable sensitivity (80%) and specificity (75%) in the epidemiologically mixed sample. According to subsample analysis PROD‐screen functions well with first‐degree relatives of schizophrenic patients and probably also with general population samples, but not with psychiatric outpatients.

In conclusion, PROD‐screen is a useful tool for screening prodromal symptoms of psychosis and selecting subjects for more extensive research interviews. Copyright © 2003 Whurr Publishers Ltd.

Keywords: prodromal symptoms, psychosis, screening

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