Awareness of own illness as a problem of pathopsychology

A contemporary approach to research into awareness of own mental illness in psychological pathology, arguing necessity of introducing the operational notion of insight in the system of categories of national clinical psychology, and discussing non-traditional interpretation of the notion of insight in contemporary psychological pathology are presented. The authors demonstrate the potential of theoretical and methodological research based on A.N. Leontiev's activity theory for development of psychological foundations of studying awareness of own illness. The authors suggest a theoretical model of awareness of own illness which includes "the feeling matter", "the meaning" and "the personal sense" of a mental illness.