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Insight and psychotic illness. Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations
The British Journal of Psychiatry : the Journal of Mental Science
|November 1, 1995
Summary
Higher IQ is linked to better insight in psychosis patients. This study explored insight into illness and its connection to clinical, sociodemographic, and neuropsychological factors in individuals with recent psychosis.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Neuropsychology
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Insight into illness is a key aspect of psychopathology.
- Empirical study of insight is gaining importance in understanding mental health conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between insight into illness and clinical, sociodemographic, and neuropsychological variables in psychosis.
- To assess the validity and distinctiveness of insight as a phenomenological aspect of psychosis.
Main Methods:
- 150 inpatients with recent onset of psychosis from an inner-London catchment area were assessed.
- Utilized the Present State Examination (PSE) and other measures.
- Follow-up assessments were conducted after a mean of four years.
Main Results:
- Higher IQ correlated with better insight (PSE rating).
- No significant associations were found with gender, ethnicity, or schizophrenia diagnosis.
- Insight at follow-up correlated with attitudes toward treatment and a detailed insight measure.
- Left-handedness showed a strong association with insight at both assessment points.
- Cerebral ventricular enlargement and frontal lobe function tests did not correlate with insight.
Conclusions:
- Insight assessment in psychosis demonstrates concurrent validity.
- Insight is a distinct phenomenological feature of psychosis.
- Neuropsychological factors may play a role in insight into illness.