Features of the relationship of the perception of illness and the autobiographical memory of patients with schizophrenia who committed socially dangerous acts

Abstract

The article presents the results of a study of the features of the relationship of the internal picture of illness and the autobiographical memory of patients with schizophrenia who committed socially dangerous acts. The experimental group consisted of 17 males undergoing compulsory treatment in Orel PBSTIN who have history severe offending. The comparison group consisted of 17 patients with schizophrenia without a criminal history, receiving treatment in general psychiatry hospital. All patients were interviewed by instruments which diagnose the internal picture of illness and the autobiographical memory: questionnaires «function of autobiographical memory», «type of attitude to the disease», «SCL–90–R» (Symptom Checklist–90–Revised), «BIDR» to adapt Osin, as well as methods of «life line» and «metaphor of the past». The specific relationship of the types of attitude to the disease and perceived distress from symptoms with the peculiarities of functioning of autobiographical memory were revealed in the group of schizophrenic patients with a criminal history. It was found that this group of patients characterized by the predominance of negative perceptions of past experience, as well as the fragmentation of the attitude to the disease with the low awareness and the signification of their own symptoms, that is associated with a lower contribution to the mediation of ideas about the disease of functional constructs of autobiographical memory. It was found that by the greater severity of perceived distress from symptoms and/or less realistic and adaptive types of attitude to the disease, there are noted the fewer opportunities for realistic consciousness with reduced autobiographical memory mediation of ideas about disease. This is found out the tendency to the high level of social desirability that is associated with the severity of distress from perceived symptoms and maladaptive attitude to the disease, for which the intersubjective aggressive response is typical.