1065 – Relationship between insight, psychopathology and executive functions in a sample of forensic patients

Abstract

The study of the relationship between insight, psychopathology and executive functions has revealed contradictory results, which seems to demonstrate the complex and multidisciplinary nature of insight. Several studies in psychotic patients confirmed the association between lower insight and poor prognosis, emphasizing the impact of poor adherence to treatment in greater symptom severity and greater likelihood of aggressive behavior. To study the relationship between insight, psychopathology and executive functions. Analyze the association between these variables and the type of crime committed in a sample of forensic patients. The sample is comprised by patients hospitalized for more than 6 months in the Department of Forensic Psychiatry of the Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, diagnosed as measured by DSM-IV-TR, in the category “Schizophrenia and other Psychotic Disorders”. Of these, we excluded those that according to DSM-IV-TR had a diagnosis of “Mental Retardation” (IQ as measured by WASI - Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence) or “Substance Dependence”. Patients were evaluated using PANSS (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale), SUMD (Scale to Assess Unawareness of Mental Disorders) and TMT (Trail Making Test). Biographical data, type of crime that led to the hospitalization and the security measure applied, was gathered through the review of patient's clinical files. Data will be analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS - 19 th version) and the results will be interpreted according to the current literature.