OBJECTIVES: To provide information on functional outcomes for patients with schizophrenia manifesting negative symptoms across five European countries. METHODS: Physicians in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK who prescribed antipsychotics for at least 15 patients with schizophrenia within the preceding 3 months were invited to complete a questionnaire concerning their patients' clinical status and functional performance. RESULTS: Data were obtained from 704 physicians treating a total of 6569 patients from France (n=1492), Germany (n=1439), Italy (n=1002), Spain (n=1310), and the UK(n=1326). Physicians rated patient symptoms on a 5-point scale as either predominated by or with a high level of positive symptoms (38%), predominated by or with a high level of negative symptoms (32%), or not dominated by either type of symptom (22%). Physicians did not rate 8% of patients using this scale. Patients with a predominance of negative symptoms were rated as having significantly greater functional impairment than those with predominant positive symptoms as measured by physician ratings on the Global Assessment of Functioning scale (P<0.01) and on 5-point global numerical ratings of overall function, cognitive function, and patients' overall ability to meet their own needs (P<0.01). In addition, 57% of patients in whom negative symptoms predominated required a caregiver, compared with 49%–50% of patients in other symptom categories. CONCLUSIONS: In this large, multinational, cross-sectional physician survey, patients with schizophrenia in whom negative symptoms predominated had levels of functional impairment at least as great as, if not greater than, those for patients in whom positive symptoms predominated. These results suggest that additional attention should be given to effectively treating the persistent negative symptoms present in many patients with schizophrenia.