Wellness within illness: Happiness in schizophrenia

SCHIZOPHRENIA RESEARCH

卷:159

Article

Palmer, Barton W.^1,2,3,4  Martin, Averria Sirkin^1,2,3  Depp, Colin A.^1,2,3,4  Glorioso, Danielle K.^1,2,3  Jeste, Dilip V.^1,2,3,5 

[1] Univ Calif San Diego, Dept Psychiat, La Jolla, CA 92093 USA

[2] Univ Calif San Diego, Ctr Hlth Aging, La Jolla, CA 92093 USA

[3] Stein Inst Res Aging, La Jolla, CA USA

[4] Vet Affairs San Diego Healthcare Syst, San Diego, CA USA

[5] Univ Calif San Diego, Dept Neurosci, La Jolla, CA 92093 USA

关键词: Well-being;    Positive psychology;    Optimism;    Resilience;    Depression;    Comorbidity;    Recovery;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.schres.2014.07.027

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Schizophrenia is typically a chronic disorder and among the most severe forms of serious mental illnesses in terms of adverse impact on quality of life. Yet, there have been suggestions that some people with schizophrenia can experience an overall sense of happiness in their lives. We investigated happiness among 72 outpatients with non-remitted chronic schizophrenia with a mean duration of illness of 24.4 years, and 64 healthy comparison subjects (HCs). Despite continued treatment with antipsychotic medications, the individuals with schizophrenia manifested a mild to moderate level of psychopathology. People with schizophrenia reported lower mean levels of happiness than HCs, but there was substantial heterogeneity within the schizophrenia group. Level of happiness in persons with schizophrenia was significantly correlated with higher mental health-related quality of life, and several positive psychosocial factors (lower perceived stress, and higher levels of resilience, optimism, and personal mastery). However, level of happiness was not related to sociodemographic characteristics, duration of illness, severity of positive or negative symptoms, physical function, medical comorbidity, or cognitive functioning. Except for an absence of an association with resilience, the pattern of correlations of happiness with other variables seen among HCs was similar to that in individuals with schizophrenia. Although happiness may be harder to achieve in the context of a serious mental illness, it nonetheless appears to be a viable treatment goal in schizophrenia. Psychotherapies targeting positive coping factors such as resilience, optimism, and personal mastery warrant further investigation. (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier B. V.

【 授权许可】

Free