INSIGHT IN SCHIZOPHRENIA AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO PSYCHOPATHOLOGY

A group of 29 patients with DSM-IIIR schizophrenia was studied during acute hospital admission to examine the relationship between changes i n insight and positive and negative symptomatology in schizophrenia. O n admission, insight scores were obtained using a modification of the SUMD (Amador et al., 1993), and of the degree of psychopathology using the PANSS (Kay et al., 1987). These measures were repeated prior to d ischarge between 3 and 6 weeks later. Insight improved significantly d uring the course of in-patient treatment. A relationship between psych opathology and insight level was evident at both assessments, though t he pattern was different. Improvement in psychopathology correlated si gnificantly with increased insight into past symptoms but not current illness. When treatment responders were examined there was a significa nt relationship only with negative symptom improvement and PANSS total s, but not with improvement in positive symptoms. The greater the tren d towards negative symptom predominance, the less the tendency to impr ove in the awareness of current symptoms. This study suggests an inver se relationship with enduring negative symptoms.