Recent decades have seen a revival of interest in the study of the self, self-awareness and various changes in self-awareness, especially in the context of mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia. This chapter outlines the psychopathology of various disturbances of awareness of self-activity, including depersonalisation, loss of emotional resonance, disturbances in the immediate awareness of self-unity, disturbances in the continuity of the self and disturbances of the boundaries of the self. It also explores theory of mind, consciousness and schizophrenia, which represent areas of growing research interest. The chapter concludes with suggested questions for eliciting specific symptoms in clinical practice, in addition to standard history-taking and mental state examination.

Key Learning Points

1. 1. Up to 45 per cent of critical care physicians report severe burnout.

2. 2. Up to 33 per cent of critical care nurses report severe burnout. The majority report at least one isolated symptom of burnout.

3. 3. Both personal and environmental factors are implicated as causal factors for burnout.

4. 4. Both individual- and organisational-level interventions are helpful, although organisational-level interventions have longer-lasting effects.

5. 5. It is our responsibility to look after our own health and to support colleagues in doing so.