تجربه آشناپنداری در اسکیزوفرنی: ارتباط با آسیب شناسی روانی و داروهای ضد جنون

To clarify why patients with schizophrenia show déjà vu experiences less frequently, we studied déjà vu experiences in 113 schizophrenic patients in relation to psychopathologies and antipsychotic medication. Déjà vu experiences were observed in 53.1% of the schizophrenic patients. Patients with increased negative symptoms (blunted affect, motor retardation, emotional withdrawal, conceptual disorganization, and mannerisms) had déjà vu experiences less frequently. The other psychopathologies were not significantly associated with presence of déjà vu experiences. The dosage of antipsychotic drugs was significantly correlated with the frequency of déjà vu experiences. This correlation was not affected by their psychopathologies at the time of examination. The decreased frequency of déjà vu experiences in patients with schizophrenia may be mainly due to the negative symptoms. The positive relation between frequency of déjà vu experiences and the dosage of neuroleptics remains uncertain.

Déjà vu experiences, defined as “any subjectively inappropriate impression of familiarity of a present experience with an undefined past” [1], are observed in 70% to 80% of the nonclinical general population [2] and [3]. Many researchers have attributed déjà vu experiences to specific psychopathologies, that is, memory dysfunction, dissociations, or delusional misidentifications [4], [5] and [6]. However, patients with schizophrenia, who often exhibit these psychopathologies, experience déjà vu less frequently (50%-65%) than do nonclinical individuals [1], [7] and [8]. Attributing factors for such a decreased frequency remain unknown. Exploring underlying psychopathologies in patients with schizophrenia may show their association with the development of déjà vu experiences. We studied déjà vu experiences in a large sample cohort of schizophrenic patients using standardized psychometric instruments.