Las ideas de referencia y la preocupación por su presencia: estudio sobre su relevancia para la caracterización de las psicosis

The role of ideas of reference (IR) in psychopathology is studied for the purpose of evaluating worry or distress when IR are present. We analyze whether worry about IR is related to psychotic symptoms, whether it differentiates among diagnostic classes as prominent in schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, whether worry about IR differentiates among specific diagnoses, as high in paranoid schizophrenia, whether assessment of worry is sufficiently sensitive and specific, and whether it discriminates between controls and patients of diagnostic class schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. The sample was made up of 666 patients (59.16% women), M_age = 34.45 years (SD = 12.56) and 3842 controls (67.28% women), M_age = 27.15 years (SD = 11.38). Worry about IR was related to psychotic indicators, discriminates among diagnostic classes (partial η² = .14) and among specific diagnoses (partial η² = 12), and is mainly featured in paranoid schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. Sensitivity and specificity were adequate, as was separation of controls from the diagnostic class schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. The assessment of IR is relevant, but it is even more important to assess the level of worry or distress about them.