Differences between self-reported and clinician-rated evaluations of 1-year changes in auditory verbal hallucinations among schizophrenia patients

Publication date: Available online 18 June 2019Source: Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological PsychiatryAuthor(s): Se Hyun Kim, Samuel S. Hwang, Hee Yeon Jung, Yeni Kim, Yong Min Ahn, In Won Chung, Yong Sik KimAbstractAuditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) constitute a frequent and distressing symptom of schizophrenia, associated with physical, emotional, and cognitive challenges. Despite their clinical importance, changes in the multiple dimensions of AVHs during treatment have rarely been examined, and subjective views thereof have received minimal attention. Here, we evaluated 87 patients with schizophrenia-related AVHs using the Hamilton Program for Schizophrenia Voices Questionnaire (HPSVQ; a self-report questionnaire) and the Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales-Auditory Hallucination Subscale (PSYRATS-AH; a clinician-rated scale) at baseline and after 6 months and 1 year of treatment. We explored dimensions that changed from the perspectives of both clinicians and patients and the relationships between these perceptions over the year. The test–retest reliabilities of the HPSVQ and PSYRATS-AH were generally fair. Improvements in AVHs were evident over the first 6 months; the PSYRATS-AH revealed a broader range of symptom improvement than did the HPSVQ. The “interference with life” dimension on the HPSVQ was not reduced, but the “disruption to life” score on the PSYRATS-AH was. At both baseline and 6 months, the physical characteristics of AVHs (...
Source: Progress in Neuro Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry - Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research