Examination of Anomalous Self-Experience (EASE):
Introductory course
Psychopathological Research and Educational Center, Hvidovre, Psychiatric Center
Hvidovre, Copenhagen and The Danish National Research Foundation: Centre for
Subjectivity Research, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Programme abstract:
Anomalous subjective experiences, described since early 20 th century, are thought to be
intrinsic to schizophrenia and considered as constituting the phenotypic validity anchor of
the schizophrenia spectrum concept. Although neglected in modern psychiatry, due to the
dominating behaviouristic approach, they nevertheless have been thoroughly investigated
in continental European psychiatry, where it has been shown that their presence antedates
future psychosis. Anomalous experiences of self-awareness (self-disorders) are a subgroup of subjective pathology. The EASE is a semi-structured qualitative and semiquantitative psychometric checklist to examine anomalies of subjective self-experience,
published and available in Psychopathology (Parnas J, Moeller P, Kircher T, Thalbitzer J,
Jansson L, Handest P, Zahavi D. [2005] Examination of Anomalous Self-experience.
Psychopathology, 38 (5): 236-258.).
The EASE targets the disorders of subjective experience, which are characteristic of the
schizophrenia spectrum disorders, especially in their early phases. The checklist is
inspired by philosophical phenomenology. Its use requires a certain conceptual and
empirical background in addition to practical training. The course aims to provide such a
general background and introduce the principles for interviewing and scoring of the
individual scale items. The course will include theoretical expositions and discussion,
scoring and reliability assessments of transcribed as well as videotaped patient interviews
(in English or Danish with the English subtitles). Self-disorder are not explicitly mentioned
in the current classificatory systems even though these symptoms can be classified under
e.g. odd thinking or perceptual disturbance in the criteria of schizotypal disorder in both
ICD-10 and DSM-IV. The course will discuss the diagnostic status of self-disorders and
psychiatric classification and diagnosing in general. The participants are required to
familiarize themselves with the published version of the EASE in Psychopathology.
Teachers: Prof. DrMedSci. Josef Parnas MD, consultants Paul Møller, MD, DrMedSci,
Peter Handest MD, PhD, Lennart Jansson, MD.
Course Director: Peter Handest, MD, PhD. Psychiatric Center Hvidovre, Brøndbyøstervej
160, 2605 Brøndby. Mail: peter.handest@hvh.regionh.dk
Dates: 25 - 27 February 2009 from 9.00 a.m. - 16.00 p.m.
Location: Hvidovre Hospital, Auditorium 1, Kettegård Allé 30, 2650 Hvidovre,
Copenhagen.
Registration: There will be a limited number of places, maximum 40. Foreign applicants
are prioritized. Registration to course director: peter.handest@hvh.regionh.dk
Registration deadline: 5 January 2009.
Final acceptance of course participation: 9 January 2009.
Course fee: 300 Euro.
Peter Handest, MD, PhD.
Josef Parnas, Prof. MD, DrMedSci.
--------------------------Suggested additional literature:
Handest P, Parnas J. Clinical characteristics of first-admitted patients with ICD-10
schizotypal disorder. British J Psychiatry, 2005; 187 (Suppl. 48): 49-54.
Moller P, Husby R. 2000, The initial prodrome in schizophrenia: searching for naturalistic
core dimensions of experience and behavior, Schizophr Bull, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 217-32.
Parnas J, Jansson L, Sass LA, Handest P. Self-experience in the prodromal phases of
schizophrenia: A pilot study of first admissions. Neurology, Psychiatry and Brain Research.
1998; 6: 97-106.
Sass L, Parnas J. Self, consciousness, and schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 2003;
29/3: 427-444.
Parnas J, Handest P, Sæbye D, Jansson L. Anomalies of subjective experience in
schizophrenia and psychotic bipolar illness. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. 2003,
108:126-133.
Parnas J, Handest P. Phenomenology of anomalous self-experience in early
schizophrenia
Comprehensive Psychiatry. 2003: 44 (2); 121-34.
Parnas J, Bovet P, Licht D. (2005) Cluster A personality disorders: A review. In M. Maj,
H. Aksiskal, JE Mezzich, A Okasha (eds.) Personality Disorders. WPA Series: Evidence
and Experience in Psychiatry. Chichester, John Wiley & Sons.
Parnas J, Handest P. Troubles de la conscience de soi: importance pathogénique et
clinique dans la schizophrénie debutante. Psychiatrie, Sciences Humaines, Neuroscience.
2005: 3 (suppl. 1) ; 17-29.
Parnas J, Handest P, Jansson L, Sæbye D. Anomalies of Subjective Experience among
First-admitted Schizophrenia Spectrum Patients: Empirical Investigation.
Psychopathology. 2005: 38; 259-267.
Skodlar B, Tomori M, Parnas J. Subjective experience and suicidal ideation in
schizophrenia.Comprehensive Psychiatry. 2008, in press, avaiable online.
Vollmer-Larsen A, Handest P, Parnas J. Reliability of measuring anomalous experience:
the Bonn Scale for the Assessment of Basic Symptoms (BSABS). Psychopathology, 2007,
40; 345-348.