TY - JOUR
T1 - Psychotic patients' awareness of mental illness
T2 - Implications for legal defense proceedings
AU - Neumann, Craig S.
AU - Walker, Elaine F.
AU - Weinstein, Jay
AU - Cutshaw, Chris
PY - 1996
Y1 - 1996
N2 - This study examined the relationship between psychotic patients' insight into their mental illness and current symptoms, competency to stand trial, and willingness to use the insanity defense. Inpatients with psychotic disorders were grouped by whether they exhibited insight into their mental status (n=18) or denied being mentally ill (n=13). The majority of all patients, regardless of insight status, failed at least one item on a 16-item competency exam. However, the majority of insightful subjects (77%) were willing to consider using the insanity defense, while only a minority (31%) of the non-insightful subjects were willing to consider such a defense. Using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), univariate analyses indicated that the insightful subjects manifested significantly more Anxiety-Depression and less Thought Disturbance than the non-insightful subjects. Although there was no relationship between insight and performance on the competency exam, there were significant inverse correlations between competency scores and ratings on the BPRS symptom factors.
AB - This study examined the relationship between psychotic patients' insight into their mental illness and current symptoms, competency to stand trial, and willingness to use the insanity defense. Inpatients with psychotic disorders were grouped by whether they exhibited insight into their mental status (n=18) or denied being mentally ill (n=13). The majority of all patients, regardless of insight status, failed at least one item on a 16-item competency exam. However, the majority of insightful subjects (77%) were willing to consider using the insanity defense, while only a minority (31%) of the non-insightful subjects were willing to consider such a defense. Using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), univariate analyses indicated that the insightful subjects manifested significantly more Anxiety-Depression and less Thought Disturbance than the non-insightful subjects. Although there was no relationship between insight and performance on the competency exam, there were significant inverse correlations between competency scores and ratings on the BPRS symptom factors.
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U2 - 10.1177/009318539602400305
DO - 10.1177/009318539602400305
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0030427606
VL - 24
SP - 421
EP - 440
JO - Journal of Psychiatry and Law
JF - Journal of Psychiatry and Law
SN - 0093-1853
IS - 3
ER -