["I am a Misunderstood Being on Earth" - Concept of illness of patients suffering from schizophrenic psychosis before and after psychoeducational treatment].
OBJECTIVE
To determine the effects of a psychoeducational intervention on the individual concepts of illness of patients suffering from schizophrenia.


METHODS
27 patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia according to ICD-10 were interviewed with open ended questions about their concept of illness at admission to a day hospital and after 10 weeks of attending a psychoeducational program. Questions concerned terminology, diagnosis, prognosis, interventions and aetiology. A qualitative analysis of these data is presented.


RESULTS
The terms used to describe the illness were mostly colloquial. Highly individualized and heterogeneous concepts of illness, aetiology and helpful interventions and a positive view regarding prognosis prevailed. Changes over time were limited and arbitrary.


CONCLUSIONS
The concepts offered by professionals were adopted in a very limited way, which can be understood in the context of highly individualized ways of coping with diagnosis and illness.
Hofer
E
E
Universitätsklinik für Psychiatrie, Klinische Abteilung für Sozialpsychiatrie und Evaluationsforschung, Wien, Germany.
Wancata
J
J
Amering
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001317:Austria; D003631:Day Care, Medical; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000628:therapy*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
"Ich bin ein unverstandenes Wesen auf Erden" - Krankheitskonzepte von PatientInnen mit der Diagnose Schizophrenie vor und nach Psychoedukation.