La relación entre la percepción subjetiva del funcionamiento cognitivo y el autoestigma con la experiencia de recuperación de las personas con enfermedad mental grave / The relationship between self-reported cognitive functioning and self-stigma with the sub - jective recovery process in people with serious mental illness

Se analizan las variables psicosociales intervinientes en el desarrollo del proceso de recuperación de las personas con trastorno mental grave focalizándose sobre aspectos subjetivos relaciona - dos con la autopercepción. Se diseña un estudio descriptivo de series de casos transversales. La muestra está formada por 59 usuarios de dos Hospitales de Día de Salud Mental a los que se les aplicaron diversas escalas objetivas y subjetivas con el objetivo de revisar la interrelación entorno a la experiencia de recuperación; así se valoró su vivencia de recuperación, autoestigma, el insight cognitivo y la metacognición sobre el funcionamiento cognitivo y social, teniendo en cuenta los aspecto objetivables tales como aspectos clínicos, funcionales y sociales generales. Los resultados subrayan la importancia de factores perceptivos subjetivos y metacognitivos en el proceso personal de recuperación. Apuntan a la existencia de relaciones significativas entre el autoestigma y la recuperación. Se concluye que la sensación de estigma internalizado y la presencia de actividad psicótica redundan en una menor experiencia de recuperación. A su vez, las dificultades en las relaciones sociales y la percepción de quejas subjetivas sobre el funcionamiento cognitivo se asocian a una mayor sensación personal de autoestigma. Se considera la aplicación consecuente de estos hallazgos en el abordaje clínico (AU)

In this study, we analyze the psychosocial variables involved in the development of the recovery process of people with severe mental disorders. This study aims to explore aspects related with subjective self-perception and the recovery process. The study had a descriptive cross sectorial design. The sample consisted of 59 participants recruited from two mental health day hospitals. Several objective and subjective scales were applied in order to review their relationship around the recovery experience, and to evaluated their experience of recovery, self-stigma, cognitive insight and metacognition on cognitive and social functioning. We also took into account objectified aspects such as clinical, functional and general social situation. The results underline the importance of subjective and metacognitive perceptual factors in the personal process of recovery. These results suggest the existence of a significant relationship between self-stigma and recovery. They conclude that the sense of internalized stigma and the presence of psychotic activity imply lower recovery experience. In turn, difficulties in social relations and the perception of subjective complaints of cognitive functioning are associated with greater personal sense of self-stigma. Finally we consider that these findings may be applied in the clinical management of people with severe mental disorder (AU)

Variability of plasma homovanillic acid over 13 months in patients with schizophrenia; relationship with the clinical response and the Wisconsin card sort test.

In the present study we have measured, on a monthly basis, the concentration of plasma homovanillic acid (pHVA) in schizophrenic patients during 13 months of their pharmacological treatment. The average pHVA values of each patient were within the range of 7.30-17.70 ng/ml and the coefficients of variation for each patient (CV %) were within the range of 13-33%. Half of the patients that showed higher pHVA CV% values also showed higher scores on the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale at the beginning of the study, and improved more after 6 months, when compared to the remaining 50% with lower CV% values. There was no significant relationship between the scores of the Wisconsin Card Sort Test and the concentration or the CV% of the pHVA of each patient. A greater variability in the pHVA may be associated with a greater plasticity of the dopaminergic system and a better clinical response.