Browsing by Subject "Masennus"

Objectives. The loss of insight is a consistent feature of psychotic illness. In prior studies low insight has been linked to more severe positive and negative symptoms, lower adherence to treatment, and lower global functioning, but also to increased depression and suicidality. The aim of this study was to investigate (1) the relationship between insight and symptoms, (2) the relationship between symptoms and changes in insight and (3) the relationship between changes in symptoms and changes in insight in first episode psychosis patients. In addition to depression, the relationship between insight and anxiety, suicidality, adherence to treatment, global functioning, and positive and negative symptoms were studied. Methods. The participants of the current study were 70 first-episode psychosis patients (women = 23, mean age = 25.5) from the broader "Varhaisen psykoosin riskitekijät, kulku ja ennuste" -study. 53 (women = 19) participated in the follow-up. The study included baseline assessment as soon as possible after the presentation of psychotic symptoms and a follow-up after two months. In both assessments internationally accepted and widely used instruments for measurement were used. Results and conclusions. Good insight was found to correlate with better adherence to treatment and less severe positive and negative symptoms. Of the baseline symptoms only adherence to treatment could predict changes in insight in the follow-up, but increased insight could predict increases in both adherence to treatment and depression. These results are in line with prior research and support the hypothesis that improvements in insight are associated with increased depression, but also with better global functioning, better adherence to treatment, and less severe psychotic symptoms.