S268 Abstracts of the 4th Biennial Schizophrenia International Research Conference / Schizophrenia Research 153, Supplement 1 (2014) S1–S384

disturbed basic self consciousness, loss of natural self evidence and dis-

embodiment. The minimal self, the implicit, basic and bodily level of

experience, has been shown to be at the core of the disorder. Consistently

with this theoretical background, specific body-oriented psychotherapy

interventions for schizophrenia have been developed, addressing first and

foremost the implicit and bodily level of experience. Current studies on

outcome of body-oriented psychotherapy have already shown a significant

reduction of negative symptoms in the case of schizophrenia, although

results are still controversial in relation to improvement of life quality and

other aspects of psychopathology (Roericht & Priebe, 2006). Notwithstand-

ing the clinical relevance of these results, the assessment of symptoms may

not be enough if we are to understand the process of therapeutic change

and its impact on patients’ quality of life. Indeed, these studies shifted from

a first-personal stance for understanding schizophrenic disorder to a third

person observation of symptoms as a measurement of therapy outcome.

The aim of this study is thus to take a first-personal phenomenological

perspective on the study of therapy process and outcome by qualitatively

analyzing participants’ experience of body-oriented psychotherapy.

Methods: A body-oriented manualized intervention for persons with

schizophrenia has been implemented at the Psychiatric University Clinic

of Heidelberg, Germany. According to the manual (Roericht, 2000), the

intervention was implemented in a group format (five participants) and

took place over a period of ten weeks, with two weekly sessions of

ninety minutes. Qualitative semi-structured interviews, exploring partici-

pants’ experience of therapy (Change interviews; Elliott et al., 2001), were

implemented after the ten weeks by a researcher trained in clinical psy-

chology. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed with Interpretative

Phenomenological Analysis (Smith et al., 2009) in order to identify core

relevant themes within those narratives. The reliability of the analysis

process was checked through independent audit.

Results: Recurrent relevant themes related to the experience of therapeutic

change were identified and grouped. These are the preliminary emerging

themes, all sharing an underlying idea of recovery of a sense of self: 1) Be-

ing a whole: connecting body and mind. 2) Being unique: feeling accepted

for who one is. 3) Being part of a group: feeling of social belonging. 4)

Being the center of one’s own agency: active stance. 5) Being worth, being

able: hoping and investing in the future. These themes will be qualitatively

discussed in relation the specific aspects of body-oriented psychotherapy

that fostered them.

Discussion: The implications of taking a phenomenological stance in the

study of psychotherapy process and outcome will be discussed. Indeed, the

qualitative analysis of first person experience showed that the efficacy of

body-oriented psychotherapy goes beyond the mere reduction of negative

symptoms: it fosters a process of change towards the recovery of a sense of

self at different levels of patients’ experience. Besides, through an in depth

analysis of the above mentioned aspects of therapeutic change related to

this particular intervention, more general implications will be drawn for an

effective treatment approach to schizophrenia.

Poster #M215

THE COURSE OF OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE SYMPTOMS IN PATIENTS WITH

NON-AFFECTIVE PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS AND IN UN-AFFECTED SIBLING:

A 3 YEARS FOLLOW-UP STUDY

Frederike Schirmbeck1, Marije Swets2, GROUP Investigators3

1Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam; 2Arkin Mental Health

and Addiction Treatment Centre, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; 3Academic

Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Department of Psychiatry,

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Background: The course of obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) and its

association with alterations in other clinical characteristics in patients with

non-affective psychotic disorders and non psychotic siblings is insufficiently

known.

Methods: Patients (n=674) and siblings (n=662) from the Dutch Genetic

Risk and Outcome in Psychosis (GROUP) study were investigated at base-

line and after 3 years followed-up. Severity of psychotic symptoms was

measured with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) in pa-

tients while the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE) was

used to assess prevalence of subclinical positive, negative and depressive

symptoms in siblings. Severity of OCS was measured with the Yale Brown

Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS). Participants were assigned to different

groups based on the course of clinically relevant OCS over time: no-OCS,

persistent OCS, OCS remission and de novo OCS.

Results: Patients suffering from co-morbid OCS reported significantly higher

severity of psychotic and depressive symptoms as well as lower overall

social functioning compared to patients without co-morbid OCS. These

differences were highly stable over time for patients reporting persistent

OCS. Subsequent repeated measure analysis revealed significant interaction

effects for groups reporting changes in their OCS. While the OCS remission

group showed significant improvement in PANSS scales, the de novo group

reported stable high psychopathology. Similar results were found in siblings

without a psychotic disorder.

Discussion: The presence of clinically relevant co-morbid OCS was as-

sociated with greater severity of psychotic and affective symptoms and

indicated lower levels of overall social functioning and additional burden

for the affected patients. Findings strengthen the need for a better under-

standing of the co-occurrence and clinical research aiming at multimodal

therapeutic interventions.

Poster #M216

LONG-TERM IMPROVEMENTS IN AVHS: CLINICIAN VS. PATIENT

PERSPECTIVES

Yong Sik Kim1, Sam Yi Shin2, Samuel Suk-Hyun Hwang3, Se Hyun Kim4,

Jae Seung Jang4, Hee Yeon Jung4, In Won Chung1

1Dongguk University Medical School; 2Dongguk University Ilsan Hospital,

Department of Neuropsychiatry; 3Eulji University; 4Seoul National University

Background: The present study is a longitudinal examination of patients

with persistent AVHs to uncover which dimensions improve over the course

of 1 year treatment and how physical symptom domains are related with

subjective stress separately from the clinician and patient perspectives.

Methods: A total of 87 patients with schizophrenia presenting persistent

AVHs were assessed at 6-month and 1-year from the baseline using both

the clinician-rated Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales - Auditory Halluci-

nation Subscale (PSYRATS-AH) and self-reported Hamilton Program for

Schizophrenia Voices Questionnaire (HPSVQ).

Results: The prevalence of AVHs was significantly decrease among 68

patients followed at the 6-month (T1) with 8 no longer showing the

symptoms of AVHs (McNemer χ2, p=0.008). At 1-year assessment (T2),

significant decrease in the prevalence of AVHs from 6-month was not

observed among 49 patients. The decrease in the prevalence of AVHs

over 1-year period (T3) for 51 patients was significant with 8 no longer

showing the symptoms of AVHs (McNemer χ2, p=0.008). From the clinician

perspective, PSYRAT-AH showed significant improvements in frequency,

duration, degree of negative content, amount of distress, and disruption to

life at T1. At T2, no significant changes were observed. Over the course of

year (T3), duration of illness, belief re origin of voices, degree of negative

content, amount of distress, and intensity of distress improved. In contrast,

from the patient perspective as based on the HVSPQ, significant decrease in

only frequency and distress occurred at T1, no significant changes followed

at T2, and duration, distress, how bad they make you feel, and clarity

improved in T3. In terms of cross-sectional correlations between items

pertaining to distress and disruption to life and other aspects of the AVHs,

from the clinician viewpoint, frequency, amount of negative content, and

degree of negative content were significantly associated with amount of

distress, intensity of distress, and disruption to life across all assessments.

The duration of auditory hallucination was significantly associated with

the intensity of distress and disruption to life across all assessments, but

was significantly associated with amount of distress only at the baseline.

Similarly, beliefs re origin was associated with disruption to life across

all assessments, but was significantly associated with intensity of distress

only at the baseline. From the patient perspective, frequency, how bad

is content, and obey commands items were significantly associated with

distress, how bad they make you feel, and interference life items across all

assessments, with one exception of marginal significance between how bad

is content and interferences with life at 1 year assessment: for duration

and loudness items, they were significantly correlated with the three items

of distress only for baseline and 6-month assessments: lastly, the clarity

items was significantly correlated with the three items of distress at only

6-month assessment.