Pharmacological treatment of negative symptoms of schizophrenia: therapeutic opportunity or Cul‐de‐sac?

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Abstract
Objective: Negative symptoms of schizophrenia are debilitating and they contribute to poor outcome in schizophrenia. Initial enthusiasm that second‐generation antipsychotics would prove to be powerful agents to improve negative symptoms has given way to relative pessimism that the effects of current pharmacological treatments are at best modest.Method: A review of the current ‘state‐of‐play’ of pharmacological treatments for negative symptoms in schizophrenia.Results: Treatment results to date have been largely disappointing. The evidence for efficacy of second‐generation antipsychotics is reviewed.Conclusion: The measurement and treatment trials methodology for the evaluation of negative symptoms need additional refinement before therapeutic optimism that better treatments for negative symptoms can be realized.