title: The effect of humorous movies on inpatients with chronic schizophrenia.
abstract: We assessed the impact of humorous movies on psychopathology, anxiety, depression, anger, social functioning, insight, and therapeutic alliance in schizophrenia inpatients. Twenty-nine psychiatric inpatients in open wards participated in the study. The study group viewed humorous and the control group viewed neutral movies daily for 3 months. Participants were assessed before and after viewing movies with the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale, Calgary Depression Scale, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2, the Multinomah Community Ability Scale, the Insight and Treatment Attitude Questionnaire, and the Working Alliance Inventory. Reduced levels of psychopathology, anger, anxiety, and depression symptoms and an improvement in social competence were revealed in the study group. No changes were observed in treatment insight or working alliance. Video films are a practical and cost-efficient means of entertainment that seem to have a positive effect on patient morale, mood, and mental status.
authors.affiliation: Lev Hasharon Mental Health Center, Netanya, Israel.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gelkopf
authors.forename: Bruria
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gonen
authors.forename: Rena
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kurs
authors.forename: Yuval
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Melamed
authors.forename: Avi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bleich
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000786:Anger; D001364:Awareness; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D027641:Laughter Therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009040:Motion Pictures; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012917:Social Adjustment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014925:Wit and Humor as Topic / Q000523:psychology