Clinical characteristics of patients who have recovered from schizophrenia: the role of empathy and positive-self schema.

Aim This article compares the socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with schizophrenia who recovered with those who achieved remission. Methods Participants were classified based on predetermined criteria for recovery and remission. Data on demographic characteristics, information on duration of untreated psychosis, and assessments of current and historical symptom profiles and socio-occupational functioning emerged from careful chart review and direct interviews. Cross-sectional assessments of clinical variables were derived from the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms, the Personal and Social Performance Scale, the Social Functioning Questionnaire, the Schizophrenia Cognition Rating Scale (ScoRS), the Basic Empathy Scale, and the Brief Core Schema Scales (BCSS). Results We found no significant differences between recovered and remitted groups with respect to demographic variables or duration of untreated psychosis. Cognitive and total empathy scores, positive-self schema score on the BCSS, and global score on the ScoRS were significantly higher in the recovered than the remitted group. Furthermore, patients with good levels of empathy and positive-self schema and intact neurocognitive functioning were more likely to achieve recovery. Conclusion These results suggest that empathy, positive-self schema and neurocognitive functioning may serve as important clinical characteristics distinguishing those patients who have recovered from those who have achieved only remission.