Audiovisual self-confrontation in schizophrenia

Only rarely have the effects of audiovisual self-confrontation on psychiatric patients been investigated experimentally and there are few specific hypotheses about the precise effects. Since we hypothesized that the method could have an effect on schizophrenic ego disturbances eight items were used to investigate these disturbances in a carefully selected single case. In contrast to group comparison studies, we used a single case analysis to register subtle individual changes. The ego disturbances of the patients underwent changes during the sessions which were represented in some fields by an increase, in others by a decrease (1% level). The fact that confrontation sessions differed significantly from interviews supported our hypothesis that ego disturbances can be influenced through audiovisual self-confrontation. In cases of acute anxiety symptoms, the danger of the increasing ego disturbance must be anticipated. For this reason, the use of self-confrontation in these cases should be avoided. Our study shows, however, that a patient in the early stages of recovery can increase his ego strength through self-confrontation. Herein lies the possibility of integrating this technique into rehabilitation programs.