Time, context, and subjective experiences in schizophrenia.

Systematic investigations into the experience of schizophrenic patients as they react and adapt to social environments are rare. Yet such information is extremely useful for understanding the psychopathology of schizophrenia, the planning of treatments, as well as for creating optimal treatment and living environments. In this study, dynamic fluctuations of mental state, social context, and experience in the daily life of schizophrenic patients were measured. Data were collected using the Experience Sampling Method on nine schizophrenic subjects and seven nonpsychiatric controls. Schizophrenic patients spent more time alone than normal--a difference that was largely created by the subsample of outpatients; hospitalized patients were less alone. As a group, the patients felt best when they were with one to three persons. The most troublesome condition reported was being alone or being in the company of more than three people. Three cases are presented to illustrate the individual variability of subjects' experience.