Validation de l’échelle d’insight Q8 et évaluation de la conscience de la maladie chez 121 patients hospitalisés en psychiatrie

Insight (awareness of disorder) is an important domain for research and practice in psychiatry. Several instruments to measure insight are currently used. We present here a short scale (8 items with open question) applied to a sample of 121 psychiatric inpatients which permitted to validate this questionnaire and to demonstrate its easiness and rapidity. This insight Q8 scale shows that insight is higher in free hospitalization (compared to compulsary hospitalization), in mood disorders (compared to schizophrenia), in dépression (compared to schizophrenia and mania), in married patients (compared to widowed and single patients), in case of good cognitive functions (MMSE score) and antecedents of attempted suicide. Awareness must be taken into account in all major mental disorders. Therapeutic alliance, treatment compliance, prognosis and risk of relapes depend largely on this dimension.