9th International Conference on Early Psychosis, Tokyo 2014 - The role of self-disorders in the development of schizophrenia

Abstract

Background: Two sets of high risk criteria are commonly used in the early detection of psychosis: the ultra high risk (UHR) and the cognitive disturbances (COGDIS) criteria. Besides these, Parnas and colleagues have developed the Examination of Anomalous Self-Experience (EASE) for the assessment of self-disturbances (SDs), which are considered a specific subjective phenotype of schizophrenia.
Methods: This is a multi-centre study. The sample consisted of 96 help-seeking adolescents aged 14-18. The participants underwent a comprehensive psychopathological examination and an assessment of SDs with the EASE scale.
Results: 13 subjects were classified as early-onset psychosis (EOP); 23 subjects were classified at ultra high risk (UHR) for psychosis, according to UHR criteria; 60 subjects were classified as clinical controls (CC). The presence of SDs was significantly higher in the EOP group than in the UHR group and in the CC group. The UHR group showed a higher number of SDs compared with the CC group. The correlation between the EASE score and social and role functioning among the total sample showed that the increase in the total EASE score correlated negatively with role and social functioning.
Discussion: SDs seem to be confirmed as a specific subjective phenotype of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. These results confirmed a correlation between SDs and social dysfunction. Thus, EASE may be a valid early detection instrument.