PM401. NMDA-enhancing agents improve cognitive function of patients with schizophrenia

Background: Impaired insight is a common feature of schizophrenia, related to poor treatment compliance and unfavorable outcome. This study was aimed to explore the internal structures of insight evaluated by self-reported and clinician-rated measures. Methods: To measure insight into psychosis as a pilot study, Korean versions of VAGUS Self-Report(VAGUS-SR), ClinicianRated(VAGUS-CR), The Scale for the Assessment of Unawareness of Mental Disorder(SUMD), and Schedule for the Assessment of Insight (SAI) were evaluated in 41 patients with schizophrenia. Multivariate statistical analyses were used to examine insight structures. Results: VAGUS-SR and VAGUS-CR were significantly correlated to each other(r = 0.73, p < .001), as well as SUMD and SAI. Gender of patients has a significant effect on the subscale scores. The link between ‘illness awareness’ and ‘need for treatment’ was revealed in VAGUS-SR, in contrast to VAGUS-CR which the link between ‘illness awareness’ and ‘symptom attribution’ was observed. Discussion: This study demonstrated that insight measured by self-report and clinician-ratings revealed distinct internal structures. The difficulties in communication between clinicians and patients may affect differences in insight structures. The VAGUS-CR and VAGUS-SR might be used complementarily to gain detailed information on insight into psychosis.