Knowing me, knowing you:the emotional self in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder

More than half of schizophrenia patients have a limited insight in their illness. In an attempt to discover why some patients do not understand what is wrong with them while others do, Lisette van der Meer from the University Medical Center Groningen conducted research into the link between social skills and illness insight. The ability to recognize and understand one’s own and other people’s emotions and the ability to deal with negative experiences appear to be connected to these patients’ insight into their illness. The areas of the brain that are involved in the relevant social skills overlap and are less active in schizophrenia patients than in healthy people