[Autoprotective mechanisms in patients with schizophrenic psychoses--compensation and coping]

For a long time, the coping and compensatory mechanisms of patients with schizophrenic psychoses have mostly been neglected by the psychiatric research. We extended the six categories of coping mechanisms described in the Bonn Scale for the Assessment of Basic Symptoms (BSABS) by three further categories. With fifty schizophrenic patients in different stages of their disease semistructured interviews concerning these categories were done. The main sociodemographic and historical parameters were registered as well. Then the protocols of the interviews were analyzed, the coping strategies were quantified, and it was tried to disclose relations between the disease progress and sociodemographic parameters. Patients used to a certain degree of autonomy e. g. unmarried patients had--compared to less independent patients--stronger coping strategies. Patients with a strong interest for their disease and a positive opinion about neuroleptic therapy had--compared to patients without interest for their disease and/or negative opinion about neuroleptic therapy--stronger coping and compensatory psychisms. It is concluded that the coping strategies might be reinforced by influencing these parameters.