Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms

The Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) is a rating scale to measure negative symptoms in schizophrenia. Negative symptoms are those which are conspicuous by their absence, lack of concern for one's appearance, and lack of language and communication skills, for example. The scale was developed by Nancy Andreasen and was first published in 1984. SANS is split into 5 domains, and within each domain separate symptoms are rated from 0 (absent) to 5 (severe). The scale is closely linked to the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS) which was published a few years later. These tools are made available for clinicians and for research purposes. The Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) is a rating scale to measure negative symptoms in schizophrenia. Negative symptoms are those which are conspicuous by their absence, lack of concern for one's appearance, and lack of language and communication skills, for example. The scale was developed by Nancy Andreasen and was first published in 1984. SANS is split into 5 domains, and within each domain separate symptoms are rated from 0 (absent) to 5 (severe). The scale is closely linked to the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS) which was published a few years later. These tools are made available for clinicians and for research purposes.