Do cenesthesias and body image aberration characterize a subgroup in schizophrenia?

OBJECTIVE: To identify and characterize a subgroup of schizophrenia patients with marked and dominating bodily sensations (cenesthesias and body image aberration). METHOD: We assessed cenesthesias and different aspects of body image aberration systematically along with common (general, positive and negative symptoms) and ego-psychopathology in 60 patients with acute paranoid schizophrenia. Cluster analysis was applied to identify subgroups. Psychopathology scores of the clusters were compared at admission and after 2 weeks of hospital treatment. RESULTS: One of the three clusters comprised of 14 patients (23.3%) with marked disturbances of body experience (underestimation of lower extremities, desomatization, boundary loss and diminution). The subgroup was further characterized by significantly higher ego-psychopathology scores at admission. Some of the differences held true over a 2-week period. CONCLUSION: The findings from the present study suggest that cenesthesias and body image aberration might represent an additional dimension of psychopathology that might be used for defining a nosological subtype of schizophrenia.