ABSTRACT
Insight deficits are an important symptom domain of psychosis, yet they remain a poorly understood construct. The lack of insight is one of the most common symptoms in schizophrenia, and associated with reduced quality of life, Poor treatment adherence, increased number of hospitalizations, as well as poor social cognition. Despite its clinical importance, it remains a complex and poorly understood phenomenon in psychosis and other clinical conditions in which it occurs. This chapter focuses on insight in psychosis, providing definitions and description of insight deficits in different population groups. Poor insight is very common in, and considered an essential feature of, psychotic spectrum disorders. The etiology of insight conceptualized according to a number of different and contrasting theories. There is mixed evidence for proposals that insight belongs to either positive or negative symptom clusters. With regards to brain structure and functions, it has been suggested that different neural networks may be involved with different aspects of insight.
