Insight and interpretation of illness in recovery from psychosis.

The concept of insight as it applies to patients suffering from psychotic illness is reviewed. An exploratory study using structured interviews with patients recovering from psychotic illness indicated that the characteristics of insight fell into five main dimensions: (1) views about symptoms, (2) views about the existence of an illness, (3) speculations about etiology, (4) views about vulnerability to recurrence, and (5) opinions about the value of treatment. Some preliminary findings regarding the association of patterns of insight with diagnosis and chronicity of illness, and the implications of these findings for clinical work and for future research, are presented.