Patients with psychotic illness want to discuss their symptoms

Patients with psychotic illness actively attempt to focus a consultation on their psychotic symptoms. Using conversation analyses of 32 consultations, McCabe and colleagues (p 1148) found that psychiatrists were reluctant to engage when patients with schizophrenic conditions asked direct questions and repeated utterances about their symptoms. In response to these attempts doctors hesitated, asked questions rather than providing answers, and smiled or laughed. This was associated with noticeable tension in the patient. Addressing patients' concerns about their psychotic symptoms and their ideas about their illness might lead to more satisfactory consultations and better outcomes.

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    StumbleUpon    Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Article

Engagement of patients with psychosis in the consultation: conversation analytic study • Commentary: Understanding conversation

Rosemarie McCabe, Christian Heath, Tom Burns, Stefan Priebe, and John Skelton
BMJ 2002 325: 1148-1151. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]