Awareness of being a patient and its relevance to insight into illness in patients with schizophrenia.

This article presents the development of the Awareness of Being a Patient Scale (ABPS), a 25-item self-report scale to measure the awareness of schizophrenic patients. Awareness is defined in terms of a patient's psychological attitude toward the psychiatric situation, and is to be evaluated from the standpoint of Parsons' sick-role concept by assessing the recognition of the need for treatment and acceptance of the treatment situation. It is hypothesized that awareness is a factor in the motivation to receive treatment. Closely related to the awareness is the insight into illness, a clinical construct comprising a patient's understanding of psychotic illness and symptoms. There also seems to be an overlap between them. However, the difference is that awareness principally pertains to a patient's perspective, not addressing the precise understanding of illness and symptoms, while the frame of reference in assessing insight is from the viewpoint of psychiatry. In examining properties of the ABPS, it is demonstrated that the ABPS has satisfactory reliability, favorable concurrent validity, and significant value in discriminating between long-term stable outpatients and recently admitted and long-term hospitalized patients. This study indicates that the awareness of being a patient has clinical importance and the ABPS is an efficient means of measuring such awareness.     

Ventricular enlargement in schizophrenia spectrum patients with prodromal symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder

We hypothesized that male patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders who have prodromal symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have ventricular enlargement compared with non-psychotic OCD patients, and that the difference in the ventricular size would offer a clue to the early detection of schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The ventricle-brain ratios (VBRs) in eight male patients with schizophrenia or schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) who had prodromal symptoms of OCD were compared with eight male patients with non-psychotic OCD and 14 normal male comparison subjects using three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The VBR of the schizophrenia spectrum group was significantly larger than those of the OCD group or comparison subjects. Even the minimum VBR in the schizophrenia spectrum group was larger than the maximum VBR in the OCD group. These results may suggest the usefulness of three-dimensional MRI for early detection of patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders who manifest OCD symptoms early in the course of the illness.     

Comparative neuropsychological function in obsessive-compulsive disorder and schizophrenia with and without obsessive-compulsive symptoms

Executive function deficits are seen in both schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but research suggests that dorsolateral prefrontal (DLPF) dysfunction is associated with schizophrenia and orbitofrontal (OBF) dysfunction is associated with OCD. As part of a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment, the Bechara Gambling Task (BGT) was used to assess OBF function and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) was used to assess DLPF function among three groups: 26 individuals with schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder with obsessive-compulsive symptoms (SCZ+), 28 individuals with schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder without obsessive-compulsive symptoms (SCZ-), and, 11 individuals with OCD. It was predicted that the SCZ+ group and the OCD group would show impairments in OBF function, as compared to the SCZ- group, and that the SCZ+ and SCZ- groups would show impairments in DLPF function, as compared to the OCD group. It was also predicted that the SCZ+ group would perform more poorly than the SCZ- and OCD groups in a number of other cognitive domains. Contrary to expectation, no divergence between groups was seen on tests of executive function. Instead, there was a statistical trend for the SCZ+ and SCZ- groups, when combined, to perform worse than individuals with OCD on the measure of OBF. Although not significant at the designated alpha level, the profile results showed that the SCZ+ group performed slightly below the OCD and SCZ- groups across nearly all neuropsychological domains.     

Lower levels of whole blood serotonin in obsessive-compulsive disorder and in schizophrenia with obsessive-compulsive symptoms

It has been reported that some schizophrenic patients suffer from obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS), and clozapine treatment is quite often associated with an occurrence/increase of OCS in schizophrenic patients. The aim of the study was to explore whether differences would exist in the clinical symptomatology and the whole blood serotonin (5-HT) concentrations in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), schizophrenic patients with and without OCS (S+OCS, S-OCS), and clozapine-treated schizophrenic patients with and without clozapine-induced OCS (CLZ+OCS, CLZ-OCS). We found that S+OCS patients (n=15) showed significantly lower scores on the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), but similar levels of compulsions and obsessions using Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (YBOCS) as compared to the patients (n=35) with OCD. S+OCS patients scored significantly lower on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) but higher on the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) compared with S-OCS patients (n=19). However, CLZ+OCS patients (n=15) suffered from dominant compulsions but fewer obsessions compared with the OCD and S+OCS patients. OCD, S+OCS and CLZ+OCS groups had significantly lower levels of whole blood 5-HT than did the healthy volunteers (n=15), S-OCS and CLZ-OCS groups. It suggests that alterations in serotonin metabolism may be a common biological characteristic of OCS in OCD as well as in schizophrenia.     

Cortical morphology and illness insight in patients with schizophrenia

European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience - Insight into illness in schizophrenia (SZ) patients has a major impact on treatment adherence and outcome. Previous studies have linked...     

Dissociative symptoms in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

To clarify the relationship between dissociative symptoms and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), 100 patients with OCD were assessed with standardized instruments measuring symptoms of OCD, dissociation, and depression. Diagnoses of personality disorders and dissociative disorders were made using structured interviews. Compared with a previous study, OCD patients had dissociation scores slightly higher than normal controls and comparable to patients with other anxiety disorders. Patients with elevated dissociation scores had more severe OCD symptoms, were more depressed, and were more likely to have a personality disorder than patients with low dissociation scores. Although dissociative symptoms were frequently reported by OCD patients, symptoms of OCD may also mimic dissociation in some patients.     

Dissociative symptoms and dissociative disorder comorbidity in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder

The present study attempted to assess the dissociative symptoms and overall dissociative disorder comorbidity in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In addition, we examined the relationship between the severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms and dissociative symptoms. All patients admitted for the first time to the psychiatric outpatient unit were included in the study. Seventy-eight patients had been diagnosed as having OCD during the 2-year study period. Patients had to meet the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition criteria for OCD. Most (76.9%; n = 60) of the patients were female, and 23.1% (n = 18) of the patients were male. Dissociation Questionnaire was used to measure dissociative symptoms. The Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition Dissociative Disorders interviews and Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Checklist and Severity Scale were used. Eleven (14%) of the patients with OCD had comorbid dissociative disorder. The most prevalent disorder in our study was dissociative depersonalization disorder. Dissociative amnesia and dissociative identity disorder were common as well. The mean Yale-Brown score was 23.37 ± 7.27 points. Dissociation Questionnaire scores were between 0.40 and 3.87 points, and the mean was 2.23 ± 0.76 points. There was a statistically significant positive correlation between Yale-Brown points and Dissociation Questionnaire points. We conclude that dissociative symptoms among patients with OCD should alert clinicians for the presence of a chronic and complex dissociative disorder. Clinicians may overlook an underlying dissociative process in patients who have severe symptoms of OCD. However, a lack of adequate response to cognitive-behavioral and drug therapy may be a consequence of dissociative process.     

强迫症患者与精神分裂症患者的神经认知功能特征比较

目的 比较强迫症患者与精神分裂症患者神经认知损害的特点和严重程度. 方法 选择中山大学附属第三医院精神心理科自2011年8月至2012年2月住院的30例强迫症患者(强迫症组)、30例精神分裂症患者(精分症组)及同期30名体检健康者(对照组)为研究对象,采用连线测验、Stroop色字词测验、韦氏记忆测验、改良版威斯康辛卡片分类测验对其进行神经认知功能评定,并应用统计学方法比较. 结果 (1)在连线测验中,强迫症组的连线B测验用时(s)和连线A/B测验用时差要明显差于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05);除连线B测验错误次数外,强迫症组其余指标均明显优于精分症组,差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05);精分症组各项指标均明显差于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05).(2)在Stroop色字词测验中,强迫症组的色词测验错误率和色词测验用时明显差于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05);强迫症组的字测验错误数和字测验用时明显优于精分症组,差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05);精分症组各项指标均明显差于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05).(3)在韦氏记忆测验中,强迫症组的图片回忆、再认、联想学习、短时记忆和记忆商数明显差于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05);除长时记忆、再认、联想学习和触觉记忆外,强迫症组的其余指标均明显优于精分症组,差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05);精分症组各项指标均明显差于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05).(4)在改良版威斯康辛卡片分类测验中,强迫症组(除随机错误数外)和精分症组各项指标与对照组相比均明显差,差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05);强迫症组各项指标均明显优于精分症组,差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05). 结论 强迫症患者的神经认知缺陷特征主要表现在注意狭窄和转换困难,短时记忆和视空间记忆障碍;精神分裂症则表现为全面的神经认知功能损害;强迫症患者总体神经认知功能水平比精神分裂症患者高.     

Empathy and symptoms dimensions of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder

Patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) often display cognitions and/or behaviors that may well reflect the existence of “hyper-attachment” to different environmental elements, including their offspring, family members, divine entities, or even inanimate objects. Based on the fact that both OCD symptoms and physiologic interpersonal attachment mechanisms involve overlapping ventral fronto-limbic circuits, we hypothesized that there is a relationship between empathy, evaluated with the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), and OCD symptom dimensions. We evaluated 53 patients with OCD and 53 age- and sex-matched individuals from the community with the Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnosis of DSM-IV axis I disorders, the Saving Inventory-Revised, the IRI (composed of four sub-scales), the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory - Revised, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Beck Anxiety Inventory. Patients with OCD displayed greater levels of affective empathy (i.e., empathic concern (p = 0.006) and personal discomfort (p < 0.001)) than community controls. In bivariate analyses, the severity of hoarding symptoms of patients with OCD correlated with empathic concern (r = 0.39; p < 0.001), fantasy (r = 0.36; p < 0.01), and personal discomfort (r = 0.39; p < 0.001). In partial correlation analyses adjusting for comorbid depression and anxiety, only the association between hoarding and fantasy remained robust (r = 0.41; p < 0.001). A model that included severity of hoarding, depression, and anxiety symptoms predicted 33% of the variance on the fantasy scale. Our findings suggest that hoarding is linked to specific aspects of interpersonal reactivity. Comorbid depression and anxiety, however, explain a large proportion of the empathic profile exhibited by patients with OCD.     

Prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder in schizophrenia and significance of motor symptoms

To investigate the differences between schizophrenic subjects with and without obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the authors systematically assessed 76 schizophrenic subjects for OCD. Subjects with and without OCD were then compared with regard to motor symptoms, including catatonia, and several measures of psychopathology. Treatment strategies were evaluated retrospectively. The 12 subjects with OCD (15.8%) had more motor symptoms, including catatonia, than non-OCD schizophrenic subjects. Some differences were found with regard to psychopathological symptoms. Treatment strategies also differed in the two groups. The high prevalence of motor symptoms in these subjects supports the hypothesis of a basal ganglia-frontal lobe connection linking OCD with schizophrenia.     

Neurological soft signs in schizophrenia patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a prevalent and clinically significant phenomenon in schizophrenia patients. Both schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are considered to be neurodevelopmental disorders sharing dysfunctional frontal-subcortical circuitry. Using the Neurological Evaluation Scale (NES), the authors assessed neurological soft signs in 59 patients who met DSM-IV criteria for both schizophrenia and OCD. The two schizophrenia groups (with and without OCD) scored higher than the comparison group but did not significantly differ from one another on any of the NES subscales. The first-episode patients in both groups scored similarly to patients with repeated hospitalizations on all NES subscales. Notably, the OCD patients scored similarly to the two schizophrenia groups on the NES motor sequencing subscale. The author's findings support the notion that neurological soft signs are independent markers of brain dysfunction detectable early in the course of schizophrenia. However, they are of limited value as a putative endophenotype in a search for specific etiological mechanisms underlying a schizo-obsessive subgroup of schizophrenia.     

Comparison of clinical characteristics and comorbidity in schizophrenia patients with and without obsessive-compulsive disorder: schizophrenic and OC symptoms in schizophrenia

BACKGROUND: Since a substantial proportion of schizophrenia patients has symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), we sought to provide a phenomenological characterization of a schizophrenia subgroup with OCD. METHOD: A consecutive sample of patients who met DSM-IV criteria for both schizophrenia and OCD (N = 55) was compared with 55 schizophrenia patients without OCD matched for age and number of hospitalizations. Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I psychiatric disorders (SCID-I), including a specific module for tic disorders based on DSM-IV criteria, Scales for the Assessment of Positive and Negative Symptoms, Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, Clinical Global Impressions scale, and Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression were used. RESULTS: Schizophrenia patients with OCD (N = 55) had lower positive dimension scores than schizophrenia patients without OCD (N = 55) (p =.01). Two subgroups of schizo-obsessive patients were identified: OCD independent of schizophrenia symptoms and OCD partially overlapping positive schizophrenia symptoms. Schizophrenia patients with OCD had more SCID-detectable OCD-spectrum disorder, primarily body dysmorphic disorder and chronic tic disorders. More schizophrenia patients with OCD were treated with either add-on serotonin reuptake inhibitors or clozapine. CONCLUSION: Schizophrenia patients with OCD differ from their non-OCD-schizophrenia counterparts in severity of schizophrenia symptoms, co-occurrence of OCD-spectrum disorders, and pharmacotherapy. These findings and the identification of 2 subgroups of schizo-obsessive patients support the validity of this unique clinical entity and may facilitate the establishment of diagnostic criteria for a schizo-obsessive subtype of schizophrenia.     

Preferential aggregation of obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders in schizophrenia patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

OBJECTIVE: To validate a complex association between schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). METHOD: We used the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I disorders to compare the rate of OCD spectrum and additional Axis I disorders in 100 patients who met criteria for both schizophrenia and OCD, non-OCD schizophrenia (n = 100), and OCD (n = 35). RESULTS: There was a robust between-group difference in the number of patients with one or more OCD spectrum disorders (schizo-obsessive n = 30, compared with schizophrenia n = 8; P = 0.001), that is, higher rates of body dysmorphic (8% compared with 0%) and tic (16% compared with 4%) disorders. No difference was revealed in affective, anxiety, and substance use disorders. We found comparable rates of OCD spectrum disorders in the schizo-obsessive and OCD groups (30% and 42.8%, respectively; P = 0.32). CONCLUSION: Preferential aggregation of OCD spectrum disorders in the schizo-obsessive group supports this unique clinical association. Whether a schizo-obsessive interface represents comorbidity or a specific subtype of schizophrenia warrants further investigation.     

Schizophrenia with obsessive-compulsive disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder with poor insight: a neuropsychological comparison

Schizophrenia patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) may be a subgroup of schizophrenia, and OCD patients with poor insight may show psychotic-like symptoms. The aim of this work is to compare the neuropsychological performance of those patients with schizophrenic patients who do not have OCD symptoms and with OCD patients who have good insight. The sample consisted of 89 patients (16 OCD-schizophrenic patients, 30 non-OCD schizophrenic patients, 30 OCD patients with good insight, 13 OCD patients with poor insight). Neuropsychological evaluation included executive functions, verbal and visual memory and attention tasks. While schizophrenic patients with OCD did not differ from the non-OCD schizophrenia and OCD with poor insight groups on long-term visual and verbal memory performance, they showed poorer performance than the OCD group on long-term visual and verbal memory tests. Considering executive function, the OCD group with poor insight performed significantly worse than their counterparts with good insight, and the latter group performed better than the schizophrenia patients. The results of this study suggest that the neuropsychological performance of schizophrenia patients with OCD did not differ from that of non-OCD schizophrenic patients, and that OCD patients with poor insight were more likely to share similar cognitive characteristics with the schizophrenia groups. Our results also provide neuropsychological support for the hypothesis that OCD and schizophrenia may be a spectrum disorders.     

Features of obsessive-compulsive disorder in patients primarily diagnosed with schizophrenia

We investigated the prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) among patients who were primarily diagnosed with schizophrenia. We investigated the differences in the neuropsychiatric features and motor symptoms between patients with schizophrenia who did or did not have OCD. Seventy-one subjects with the DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia were evaluated by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders, the Yale-Brown Obsessive-compulsive Scale and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. To assess their motor symptoms, the Abnormal Involuntary Movements Scale, the Barnes rating scale for drug-induced akathisia and the Simpson and Angus extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) rating scale were used. The 13 subjects with OCD (18.3%) had significantly more severe motor symptoms than the non-OCD subjects. Patients with schizophrenia who exhibit moderate to severe motor symptoms as side-effects of neuroleptics, should be examined for OCD comorbidity. Patients who are found to have OCD comorbidity must be treated with carefully chosen medications, including serotonin re-uptake inhibitors.     

Tobacco smoking in Egyptian schizophrenia patients with and without obsessive-compulsive symptoms

BACKGROUND: Nicotine dependence is common in schizophrenia patients but rare in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Little is known, however, about smoking in schizophrenia patients with obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) especially in a developing country, such as Egypt, that has the highest rate of tobacco consumption in the Middle East and North Africa. OBJECTIVES: To test a hypothesis that nicotine dependence in schizophrenia patients with-OCS is lower than in those without-OCS. RESULTS: Out of 87 consecutive schizophrenia patients attending a psychiatric out-patients clinic in Egypt, 34 patients (39%) had significant OCS, and a smoking rate (85.3%) not significantly lower than that of patients without-OCS (90.6%). Patients were reclassified by their Fagerstr?m's scores into 3 groups of nicotine dependence: mild (37 patients), high (21 patients) and very high (29 patients). There were no differences between these groups in terms of YBOCS scores (F=0.324; p=0.724). When comparing PANSS scores of patients, with and without-OCS, those of the former group were higher on the positive symptoms (mean=24.2 versus 20.8; p=0.002), and anxiety/depression (mean=10.8 versus 10.1; p=0.03) but lower on the negative symptoms (mean=15.0 versus 19.4; p=0.000), disorganized thoughts (mean=14.5 versus 17.5; p=0.002), and uncontrolled hostility/excitement) (mean=7.5 versus 9.5; p=0.002). However, there was no significant between-group difference in the total PANSS scores. CONCLUSIONS: The high and equal rates of smoking in patients with-, and without-OCS, and the lack of difference between YBOCS scores of mild, high and very high nicotine dependence groups undermined our initial hypothesis that nicotine dependence in schizophrenia patients with-OCS is lower than in those without them. Nevertheless, the finding of a distinctive PANSS scores, may support a suggestion that OCS in schizophrenia represent a distinct subtype or dimension.     

Age-of-onset of schizophrenic and obsessive-compulsive symptoms in patients with schizo-obsessive disorder

Obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) are prevalent, persistent, clinically significant phenomena in schizophrenia. To facilitate the understanding of their temporal interrelationship, we assessed age-of-onset of schizophrenic and obsessive-compulsive symptoms among 133 patients admitted to Tirat Carmel Mental Health Center (Israel) during the years 1999-2010 who met DSM-IV criteria for both schizophrenic disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The mean age-of-onset of the first clinically significant OCS was significantly earlier than the mean age-of onset of the first psychotic symptoms. An earlier onset of OCS was detected in men, but not in women. In sixty-four of 133 patients OCS preceded the first psychotic symptoms, in 37 patients OCS followed them, and in 32 patients OCS and psychotic symptoms occurred simultaneously. A sub-analysis of 52 first-episode schizophrenia patients revealed that OCS emerged approximately 3 years earlier than psychotic symptoms. Notably, schizo-obsessive patients had earlier mean age-of-onset of first psychotic symptoms than a comparative group of 113 non-OCD schizophrenia patients matched for age, gender and number of hospitalization. Earlier emergence of OCS than schizophrenic symptoms in schizo-obsessive patients suggests that they are independent of psychosis and are not consequent to schizophrenia. In addition, the presence of OCS seems to modify clinical features of schizophrenia accounting for earlier onset of first psychotic symptoms, however a replication of these findings is needed.     

Awareness of illness in schizophrenia

This article reviews the literature on "poor insight" or unawareness of illness in schizophrenia. A large body of knowledge representing several different perspectives on insight has developed. This work can be divided into three broad categories, suggesting an important role for insight in the phenomenology, pathophysiology, and treatment of schizophrenia. The argument is made here that many of the self-awareness deficits observed in schizophrenia are of diagnostic significance, are neurally based, and are indispensable in guiding treatment decisions. In addition, this article proposes guidelines for assessing unawareness of illness in schizophrenia and discusses the relevance of such deficits to the diagnosis of schizophrenia.