Rethinking the Concept of Psychosis and the Link Between Autism and Schizophrenia

Prior experiences and delusion content The Italian pilot study by Catone and colleagues (2) in this issue focuses on the relationship between stressful experiences and delusion content in adolescents with psychotic disorders. The authors hypothesize that a biographic continuity or “thematic link” can develop between the themes of previous life experiences and the content of a patient’s delusions. They examine the relationship between the prior experiences and delusions of a sample of 16 patients experiencing their first psychotic episodes. The researchers expected to find a statistically significant association between past experiences and psychotic symptom content, and they did discover a significant association between humiliating experiences and persecutory delusions. The authors suggest that the thematic link concept may provide clinicians with a greater awareness of the patient’s thoughts and emotions and that addressing past experiences and linking them to emerging or consolidated delusions may make experiences like bullying less frightening for the patient.