Continuity between Stressful Experiences and Delusion Content in Adolescents with Psychotic Disorders – A Pilot Study

Authors

  • Gennaro Catone 1) Department of Mental and Physical Health and Preventive Medicine, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Division, Second University of Naples, Via Pansini n.5, 80100, Naples, Italy. 2) Department of Psychiatry, Warnerford Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK. http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1769-4489
  • Simone Pisano 1) Department of Mental and Physical Health and Preventive Medicine, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Division, Second University of Naples, Via Pansini n.5, 80100, Naples, Italy.
  • Matthew Broome 2) Department of Psychiatry, Warnerford Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK.
  • Juliana Fortes Lindau 2) Department of Psychiatry, Warnerford Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK. 3) NESMOS Department (Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Functions), Sapienza University, Piazza Sassari 3 00161 Roma Italy
  • Antonio Pascotto 1) Department of Mental and Physical Health and Preventive Medicine, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Division, Second University of Naples, Via Pansini n.5, 80100, Naples, Italy.
  • Antonella Gritti Faculty of Education Sciences, Department of “Scienze Formative, Psicologiche e della Comunicazione”, Suor Orsola Benincasa University, Via Suor Orsola 10, 80125 Naples, Italy.

Keywords:

psychosis, delusion, children and adolescents, bullying, paranoia

Abstract

Background: Delusions are usually considered core symptoms of schizophrenia, but they are in fact associated with a wide range of psychiatric disorders. The content of a delusion is often related to stressful life experiences that preceded the delusion. Objective: The aim of this study is to detect whether there is a link—specifically, a thematic link—between past experiences and delusion content that connects the two events via thematic analogy. Method: The sample population evaluated for this study consisted of 16 consecutive patients with delusions between the ages of 9.9 and 16.5 years. All patients were experiencing their first psychotic episodes and were not taking any medications. Data were obtained from transcribed clinical sessions. Results: The data suggested the presence of a thematic link between previous experiences and the contents of delusions for 15 patients (93%). Humiliating events, including bullying, are more likely to be linked to persecutory delusions (p = .004). Conclusions: If a thematic link between past experiences and delusion content does exist, this may provide a means of greater psychotherapeutic understanding.

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Published

2016-02-04

How to Cite

Catone, G., Pisano, S., Broome, M., Lindau, J. F., Pascotto, A., & Gritti, A. (2016). Continuity between Stressful Experiences and Delusion Content in Adolescents with Psychotic Disorders – A Pilot Study. Scandinavian Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, 4(1), 14–22. Retrieved from https://tidsskrift.dk/sjcapp/article/view/20362

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 1 (2016): Special Issue: Early-Onset Psychosis and Child and Adolescent Schizophrenia

Section

Articles

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