Abstract
There has been considerable growth in literature on insight in schizophrenia and its impact on adherence, symptoms and functioning. Between 50%- 80% of patients with schizophrenia are partially or totally lacking insight into the presence of their mental illness. Lack of insight is the most prevalent symptom in schizophrenic disorders, it also occurs more frequently in schizophrenia than in other psychotic disorders. The study of quality of life (QOL) and the focus on patients' subjective sense of well-being is a fairly new phenomenon that has attracted professional attention only within the past two decades. So, issues of life quality became a key when cure is impossible. The present study determines the relation between insight and quality of life among schizophrenic patients. This study followed the descriptive design. It was conducted at the Psychiatric Department of Tanta University Hospital and Tanta Mental Hospital. The subjects of the study consisted of sixty schizophrenic patients. Three tools were used: 1- A structured interview questionnaire was applied for collection of data related to sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the study subjects, 2- A Scale to assess Unawareness of Mental Disorder (SUMD ) and 3- Schizophrenia Quality of Life Scale ( SOLS ).The main results revealed that general insight into mental disorder was negatively related to quality of life as a whole. Insight into mental disorder was negatively related to quality of life in the domains of psycho-social functioning and emotional well-being. But, no relation was found between insight into mental illness and quality of life in the domains of motivation and energy and the domain of medication and side effects. This study recommended that the future interventions and research could be directed to help persons with schizophrenia overcome their negative beliefs and find newer and more adaptive ways to think of themselves and their futures, thus allowing for the acceptance of mental illness to have fewer devastating effects.
Highlights
Schizophrenia is a chronic disorder with a heterogeneous presentation, marked by an array of symptomatology, variations in outcome and responses to treatment
Three tools were used: 1- A structured interview questionnaire was applied for collection of data related to sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the study subjects, 2- A Scale to assess Unawareness of Mental Disorder (SUMD ) and 3Schizophrenia Quality of Life Scale ( SOLS ).The main results revealed that general insight into mental disorder was negatively related to quality of life as a whole
Insight into mental disorder was negatively related to quality of life in the domains of psycho-social functioning and emotional well-being
Summary
Schizophrenia is a chronic disorder with a heterogeneous presentation, marked by an array of symptomatology, variations in outcome and responses to treatment. (10) Some researchers have conceptualized QOL largely as a subjective affair that only the patient can report, whereas others have argued for the importance of including more "objective" indicators of QOL, such as housing and health status, or frequency of social interactions Both sides of this argument are compelling(11, 12) While interest has grown steadily in understanding how persons with schizophrenia appraise their disorder and subsequent needs, the nature of the impact of awareness or admission of disorder on various domains of quality of life has remained a matter of considerable debate. No relation was found between insight into mental illness and quality of life in the domains of motivation and energy and the domain of medication
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