Unique and Overlapping Symptoms in Schizophrenia Spectrum and Dissociative Disorders in Relation to Models of Psychopathology:A Systematic Review

Schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs) and dissociative disorders (DDs) are described in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-5) and tenth edition of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10) as 2 categorically distinct diagnostic categories. However, several studies indicate high levels of co-occurrence between these diagnostic groups, which might be explained by overlapping symptoms. The aim of this systematic review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the research concerning overlap and differences in symptoms between schizophrenia spectrum and DDs. For this purpose the PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science databases were searched for relevant literature. The literature contained a large body of evidence showing the presence of symptoms of dissociation in SSDs. Although there are quantitative differences between diagnoses, overlapping symptoms are not limited to certain domains of dissociation, nor to nonpathological forms of dissociation. In addition, dissociation seems to be related to a history of trauma in SSDs, as is also seen in DDs. There is also evidence showing that positive and negative symptoms typically associated with schizophrenia may be present in DD. Implications of these results are discussed with regard to different models of psychopathology and clinical practice

Dissociation and social cognition in schizophrenia spectrum disorder

While there is emerging evidence that dissociation is linked with trauma history and possibly symptoms in schizophrenia, it remains unclear whether dissociation represents a symptom dimensions in its own right in schizophrenia and as such is uniquely related to other features of illness. To explore this issue the current study sought to find out whether dissociation was uniquely related to an index of social cognition closely linked to social functioning, namely affect recognition. We hypothesized that dissociation would be linked with affect recognition because symptoms of dissociation may uniquely disrupt processes which are expected to be needed for correctly recognizing emotions. The sample contained 49 participants diagnosed with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder who were in a non-acute phase of disorder. Participants were concurrently administered the Bell-Lysaker Emotion Recognition Task, the Dissociative Experiences Scale, the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist and the Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale. Stepwise linear regression analyses were performed in which dissociative symptoms were forced to enter after the other symptoms in order to predict deficits in affect recognition. These analyses revealed that greater levels of dissociative symptoms predicted poorer recognition of negative emotions over and above that of positive, negative, cognitive and PTSD symptoms. Results are consistent with the possibility that dissociation represents a unique dimension o f psychopathology in schizophrenia which may be linked to function. Published by Elsevier B.V

Changing Stress Mindset Through Stressjam: A Virtual Reality Game Using Biofeedback

Objective: A range of recent studies suggest that overall mindset about stress is related to health, performance, and well-being. Therefore, an exploratory study was conducted to examine whether virtual reality (VR) with real-time biofeedback would have potential in training people in an engaging way to develop a new stress-is-enhancing mindset. Materials and Methods: The specific application to improve people's stress mindset that was used in this study is Stressjam. The application was tested on its attractiveness by 111 healthy participants, specifically on their personal involvement through the Personal Involvement Inventory and its usability through the System Usability Scale. In addition to the healthy participants, a group of 64 patients dealing with stress used Stressjam for at least three sessions. The Stress Mindset Measure was used to assess the stress mindset of both groups, at baseline and after finishing their session(s). Results: Stressjam appears to be an application that is user friendly with good user involvement. The healthy participants and the patient sample both had a more positive stress mindset after using the application than at baseline, t(111) = 4.38, P < 0.001, and F(1,63) = 66.57, P < 0.001, respectively. Conclusion: The results of this study give some indications that using VR with biofeedback might be useful in working toward a more positive stress mindset. As such, further research into applications such as Stressjam is warranted

Inducing dissociation and schizotypal experiences through "vision-deforming" glasses

Derealization, depersonalization and schizotypal experiences are described as separate concepts but they can be hard to distinguish. One way to show the uniqueness of these concepts is by showing a dissociation between these experiences. The aim of this study was to experimentally induce derealization without inducing depersonalization or schizotypal experiences. Healthy participants watched a neutral video in one of four conditions: (1) with stroboscopic light, (2) while wearing deforming glasses, (3) with stroboscopic light and while wearing "vision deforming glasses" or (4) without any manipulation. The results show that the "vision deforming" glasses induced derealization without inducing depersonalization but not without inducing schizotypal experiences. The stroboscopic light showed no significant effect, nor was there a significant interaction between the stroboscopic light and the deforming glasses. The results indicate that using "vision deforming" glasses as a manipulation method can show a single dissociation between derealization and depersonalization but cannot dissociate derealization from state schizotypy. This association between derealization and schizotypal experiences might be helpful in understanding the high comorbidity rate between dissociative disorders and schizophrenia spectrum disorders