Stability in basic self-disturbances and diagnosis in a first treated psychosis: A seven year follow-up study.
Ingrid Hartveit Svendsen, Merete G Øie, Paul Møller, Barnaby Nelson, Ingrid S. Melle, Elisabeth Haug
Schizophrenia Research December 2018 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2018.07.011 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Longitudinal follow-up study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 56 |
| Population | Patients recruited at first treatment for a psychotic disorder, comprising 35 with schizophrenia and 21 with psychotic disorders outside the schizophrenia spectrum |
| Duration | Seven-year follow-up |
| Measures | Examination of Anomalous Self-Experience (EASE) |
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Bipolar disorder Early intervention Schizophrenia |
| Key findings | Patients with schizophrenia had significantly higher basic self-disturbance levels than those with non-schizophrenia psychoses at both baseline and follow-up, but their levels decreased significantly over seven years, indicating less stability than expected. The 'Cognition and stream of consciousness' domain was the most stable, and no diagnostic changes into or out of the schizophrenia spectrum occurred. |
Abstract
Basic self-disturbances (BSDs) are considered core features of schizophrenia spectrum disorders, and are present in the prodromal, early psychotic and chronic phases. Considerable levels of BSDs are also present at first treatment in some patients with psychotic disorders outside the schizophrenia spectrum. There is limited knowledge about the stability of self-disturbances over time. To explore the stability of BSDs in a seven-year follow-up of first treatment patients, and the association between baseline levels and changes in BSDs and diagnostic changes at follow-up. Longitudinal study of 56 patients (35 schizophrenia and 21 non-schizophrenia) recruited at their first treatment for a psychotic disorder. BSDs were assessed using the Examination of Anomalous Self-Experience (EASE), while diagnostic categories, clinical symptom severity, and functioning were assessed with standard clinical instruments. The schizophrenia group had significantly lower levels of BSDs at follow-up compared to baseline. The EASE domain "Cognition and stream of consciousness" was the most stable. There were no diagnostic changes into or out of schizophrenia spectrum. Patients with schizophrenia had significantly higher levels of BSDs both at baseline and at follow up than patients with psychotic disorders outside the schizophrenia spectrum, who showed stable low levels. We found a decrease and thus less stability in BSDs in schizophrenia than expected. This might indicate that BSDs tent to weaken over time, and that unknown individual characteristics may influence the development of BSDs. Diagnostic stability from baseline to follow-up may be due to long DUP before service entry.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on philosophy of mind, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The phenomenology of near-death experiences Subjects who reported near-death experiences | 1980 | Retrospective study | n = 78 |
| Visual Phenomenology of the LSD Flashback Persons with a history of LSD use | 1983 | Observational cohort | n = 123 |
| The neurophenomenology of neutral hypnosis. Individuals of high, medium, and low hypnotizability | 2013 | Observational cohort | n = 37 |
| The Phenomenology of Acute Organic Psychosis Patients with acute organic psychosis and acute schizophrenics | 1987 | Observational cohort | n = 148 |
| EEG oscillatory states as neuro-phenomenology of consciousness as revealed from patients in vegetative and minimally conscious states. Brain-damaged patients with disorders of consciousness and healthy-conscious subjects | 2012 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cited by 7
- Phenomenological and recovery models of the subjective experience of psychosis: discrepancies and implications for treatment Psychosis October 2, 2018
- Poor insight and self-disorders in schizophrenia: an empirical study. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience April 1, 2026
- Visual and Auditory Verbal Hallucinations in Schizophrenia and Their Relation to Self-Disorders. Psychopathology 2026
- Self-disorders in schizophrenia as disorders of transparency: an exploratory account January 18, 2024
- Basic Self-disorders Across Psychiatric Diagnoses and Risk Syndromes: An Updated Meta-analysis. Schizophrenia Bulletin April 1, 2026
and 2 more in the library
Cites 12
- Self‐experience in the early phases of schizophrenia: 5‐year follow‐up of the Copenhagen Prodromal Study World Psychiatry October 1, 2011
- Anomalous self-experience in depersonalization and schizophrenia: a comparative investigation. Consciousness and Cognition June 1, 2013
- Phenomenology and neurobiology of self disorder in schizophrenia: Secondary factors. Schizophrenia Research December 1, 2015
- Varieties of Self Disorder: A Bio-Pheno-Social Model of Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Bulletin June 1, 2018
- Basic self-disturbance, neurocognition and metacognition: A pilot study among help-seeking adolescents with and without attenuated psychosis syndrome. Early Intervention in Psychiatry October 20, 2017
and 7 more in the library