Clinical Evaluation of Language and Thought Disorders in Patients with Schizophrenic and Affective Psychoses

Abstract

56 patients with RDC diagnoses of schizophrenia (n = 40) and mania (n = 16) were interviewed with a structured interviewing procedure. The evaluation was performed by 2 raters who were blind for diagnosis. Two instruments were used for evaluation concerning thought and language disorders: the ‘Scale for Assessment of Thought, Language and Communication’ developed by Andreasen and the ‘Endogenomorphic Schizophrenic Axial Syndrome’ by Berner with its emphasis on thought disorders. The interrater reliability for both instruments was found to be good to acceptable for the essential items. A comparison of the frequency of thought disorders according to the two different instruments showed an occurrence of derailment and incoherence of the Andreasen scale in both diagnostic groups, while thought disorders of the schizophrenic axial syndrome were represented only in the group of schizophrenics. This is because in contrast to the Andreasen scale, the presence of pressure of speech is considered as an exclusion criterion for the schizophrenic axial syndrome. Thus, thought disorders according to the schizophrenic axial syndrome are seen to possess diagnostic significance.

The genetic basis of thought disorder and language and communication disturbances in schizophrenia

“…Harrow & Quinlan, 1977; P. Harvey, Earle-Boyer, & Wielgus, 1984; Holzman, Shenton, & Solovay, 1986; Johnston & Holzman, 1979; Kufferle, Lenz, & Schanda, 1985; Oltmanns, Murphy, Berenbaum, & Dunlop, 1985; Shenton, Solovay, & Holzman, 1987; Solovay, Shenton, & Holzman, 1987; Spohn et al, 1986; Taylor, Reed, & Berenbaum, 1994). Andreasen and colleagues (N.…”

Prevalence and description of psychotic features in bipolar mania

“…Another study reported that tangential speech, driveling, neologisms, private use of words, and paraphasias were seen in 8% of manic patients and in 45% of schizophrenic patients, whereas nonsequiturs and flight of ideas were seen in 75% of manic subjects and 52% of subjects with schizophrenia [10]. Thought disorder in manic patients seems to be more consistently associated with pressured speech [11] and may have a less consistent presentation in subsequent admissions than in schizophrenic subjects [12]. Overall, it appears that there are some qualitative differences between manic and schizophrenic thought disorder.…”