Schizophrenia Research Trends

Body Image Deviation in Chronic Schizophrenia: New Research 33MFs are, in their explicit and typical form, responses in which a mass of flesh or muscleis explicitly verbalized. The MFs, in their implicit forms, include responses in whichdiminution of arm, leg, and head is mentioned. In these responses, absence, unusual shortnessor vagueness of arms, legs or head is verbalized. The things or living things with a mass-likeshape, or perceived as folded or unfolded, are also included because these responses reflectthe image of a mass of flesh or the process of becoming a mass of flesh or its denial.Exclusion criteria were made as a guide to exclude misleading responses. Inclusion andexclusion criteria are summarized in Appendix 2.Test Administration and ScoringAll Rorschach tests were administered by the present authors. The presence or absence ofany response that fit the criteria was examined in each case. The cases were divided into twogroups, that is, one with MFs and one without.Inter-Rater ReliabilityInter-rater agreement was determined by evaluating the MFs according to the protocolsof 20 chronic schizophrenics. Independent ratings was made by two raters. Nineteen among20 protocols were scored as showing MF (MF +) by two independent scorers, and 95% interrateragreement was obtained.SubjectsThe socio-demographic data of the subjects used for evaluation of the MFs are shown inTable 13. The chronic schizophrenic patients were those of Study 2, who agreed toparticipate to the study using the Rorschach test. There were 41 men and 35 women. Themean (SD) age of the patients was 49.4 (9.4) years. The mean (SD) chlorpromazineequivalentdose was 474.8 (406.3) mg. Twenty-two acute schizophrenic patients, 10 male and12 female, are inpatients of a hospital in a Tokyo suburb. The Rorschach test wasadministered within one month after their first admission. Their mean (SD) age was 21.8(3.3) years. All of them were medicated, and the mean (SD) chlorpromazine-equivalent dosewas 1082.3 (536.8) mg. All of them had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, according toDSM-IV criteria. Thirty patients with anxiety disorders according to DSM-IV, 16 male and14 female, were outpatients of a private clinic in Tokyo. Their mean (SD) age was 35.9 (13.4)years. Twenty-eight healthy adults, 14 men and 14 women, were graduate students, hospitalstaff members, businessmen, office employees, and housewives. The mean (SD) age was 34.1(12.8) years old. All normal adults were demonstrated to be healthy by administering GeneralHealth Questionnaire (Goldberg, 1972; Goldberg & Williams, 1988). Written informedconsent was also obtained. (See Table 13.)Table 13. Demographic characteristics of subjects. (Study 5.)Schizophrenia Anxiety Disorders NprmalsChronic Acute(N=76) (N=22) (N=30) (N=22)Mean Age 49.4 21.8 35.9 34.1Gender (% male) 53.9 45.5 53.3 50.0