Assessment of self-disturances in high risk adolescents and clinical controls: preliminary findings from a multicentre psychosis prevention programme.

Background: Two sets of high risk criteria are commonly used in the early detection of psychosis: the ultra-high risk (UHR) and the Cognitive Disturbances (COGDIS) criteria. Besides these, Parnas and colleagues have developed the Examination of Anomalous Self-Experience (EASE) for the assessment of Self-Disturbances (SD), which are considered a specific subjective phenotype of schizophrenia. Methods: This is a multi-centre study. The sample consists to date of 79 non-psychotic adolescents aged 14–18. The following instruments were administered: (i) The Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime version; (ii) The Structured Interview for Prodromal Syndromes; (iii) The Schizophrenia Proneness Instrument – Child and Youth version; (iv) The EASE; (v) The Global Functioning Role and Social Scales. Data were analysed using non-parametric tests. Results: 48 subjects were classified at High Risk (HR) for psychosis, according to UHR or COGDIS criteria; 31 subjects were classified as clinical controls (CC). Compared to CC, HR had higher total EASE scores (10.1 ± 4.8 vs. 5.6 ± 4.1, p = 0.001), as well as higher domain scores of ‘Cognition and Stream of Consciousness’ (4.3 ± 2.5 vs. 2.1 ± 2.0, p = 0.001), ‘Self-Awareness’ (4.1 ± 2.8 vs. 2.8 ± 2.3, p = 0.040) and ‘Presence and Existential Reorientation’ (0.6 ± 1.0 vs. 0.1 ± 0.4, p = 0.009). No correlations were found between SD and Global Functioning scores. Discussion: SD seem to be confirmed as a specific subjective phenotype of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. Thus, the EASE may be a valid early detection instrument.