Subjective perception of psychosis in patients with schizophrenia: the experience of transcultural research

Abstract

Development of salutogenesis theory in the psychology of therapeutic process causes an interest in studying the subjective experience of psychosis in psychiatric patients. In the pilot study 85 patients with schizophrenia took part. Translation and adaptation of Hamburg test of subjective meaning of psychosis (SuSi) have been completed. Hypothesized connection of constructive experience of psychosis and the ability of patients to integrate disease experience into their life context was confirmed. Data on significant cultural differences between the German and Russian-speaking populations were obtained. Further perspectives of transcultural studies in psychiatry and the study of the subjective concept of morbidity in psychiatric patients were discussed.

Keywords

• salutogenesis in psychiatry
• perception of psychosis
• transcultural study
• schizophrenia