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Insight in mental illness: an educational review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

John McFarland ,
Colm McDonald  and
Brian Hallahan
John McFarland
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Clinical Science Institute, National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland
Colm McDonald
Affiliation:
University College Hospital Galway and National University of IrelandGalway
Brian Hallahan*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Clinical Science Institute, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
*
*Correspondence Email: brian.hallahan@nuigalway.ie
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Abstract

Insight is an elusive concept in psychiatry with a long history of divergent definitions and methods of measurements. Although insight was previously presumed to be a binary construct that an individual could possess or lack, there is an emerging consensus that insight is a multi-dimensional construct consisting of a spectrum of phenomena. Over recent years there has been increasing interest in the topic of insight, especially in relation to psychotic disorders where insight is frequently diminished. In this educational review we will discuss the history associated with the construct of insight, current theories in relation to insight, the association of insight with clinical symptoms and prognosis with particular reference to psychosis, the various methods of measuring insight, the aetiology of insight and present deficiencies in our understanding of insight.

Keywords

InsightAwarenessPsychological defenceFrontal lobe
Type
Reviews
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 26 , Issue 1 , March 2009 , pp. 32 - 36
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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