IN THE PSYCHIATRIC charts of a mental hospital studied, patients' definitions of what they considered was wrong with themselves made up a section entitled "insight." In this article, we have categorized these definitions and have also used an additional measure of "insight"-Whether or not the patient's hospitalization had come about through his own effort. Further, we have asked if these measures of insight were associated with the patient's prognosis, as measured by release, with the hospital's approval, within one year of admission.
Psychiatric Implications of Insight
It would seem that insight is more integral to the psychiatric treatment of neurotics than psychotics. As an indication of initial insight, the neurotic patient is usually expected to demonstrate his acknowledgement that he is ill and motivated toward recovery by his seeking and continuing therapy. Within psychotherapy sessions, a more profound indication of his insight