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Unawareness of illness and its relationship with depression and self-deception in schizophrenia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

O. Moore ,
E. Cassidy ,
A. Carr  and
E. O'Callaghan
O. Moore
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University College Belfield Dublin 4
E. Cassidy
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Cluain Mhuire Service, Hospitaller Order of St. John of God, Newtownpark Avenue Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland
A. Carr
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University College Belfield Dublin 4
E. O'Callaghan
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Cluain Mhuire Service, Hospitaller Order of St. John of God, Newtownpark Avenue Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland
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Summary

Both poor insight and depressive symptomatology are common features of schizophrenia that may be independent of positive and negative symptoms. Forty-six patients with DSM-III-R schizophrenia were evaluated for level of insight (schedule for unawareness of mental disorder), depression (Calgary depression scale for schizophrenia, Beck depression inventory), and self-deception or denial (balanced inventory of desirable responding). Patients with a greater unawareness of their illness had relatively less depressive symptomatology and relatively greater self-deception. This relationship was particularly strong for unawareness of the social consequences of having a mental disorder. These results suggest that the presence of depressive symptomatology in schizophrenia is related to the level of insight, and contingent at least in part on the absence of self-deception as a denial defense.

Keywords

depressioninsightschizophreniaself-deception
Type
Original article
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 14 , Issue 5 , September 1999 , pp. 264 - 269
Copyright
Copyright © 1999 Éditions scientifiques et médicales Elsevier SAS.

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