The relationship between symptoms and insight in schizophrenia: a longitudinal perspective

It has been suggested that deficits in symptom awareness and attribution in schizophrenia are relatively independent of core symptoms of the disorder. Many studies report conflicting findings, however, which may be explained by differences in study design and target population. In this study 33 individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were assessed longitudinally using standard symptom and insight measures, with analyses focusing on associations with psychotic, depression and anxiety symptoms. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses showed significant but only moderate associations between insight and symptoms of depression and disorganization, with no consistent relationships with positive and negative symptoms. Higher levels of depression were associated with improved awareness and attribution, whereas higher levels of disorganized symptoms were associated with deficits in awareness and attribution. The results are compared with the previous literature, and it is suggested that insight deficits in schizophrenia may vary depending on factors such as course and phase of illness. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.