Thought, Language, Communication disorder in schizophrenia – type, prevalence and differences between acute and chronic cases

Abstract

Background: Schizophrenia has various types of language behaviours. Andreasen proposed a scale for the assessment of thought, language and communication and conducted a study in 1979. After that studies are scarce in that area. Especially in Tamil Nadu (India) no such studies have been done so far. Aim: In this study, the type, prevalence and severity of thought, language, communication disorder in schizophrenia and difference between acute and chronic cases were to be examined. Materials and methods: A total of 100 patients (50 acute episode of schizophrenia and 50 chronic schizophrenia cases (in-patients > 2 years duration) were examined with Semi structured schedule. Results: The prevalence of pressure of speech, derailment, incoherence, poverty of content, loss of goal were most common. This was followed by Poverty of speech, tangentiality, illogicality, circumstantiality. The least common were blocking, neologism, clanging, word approximation, perseveration, self reference. There was also a significant difference between acute and chronic schizophrenia. Pressure of speech, clanging were more predominant in acute schizophrenia. Poverty of content, incoherence were more common in chronic schizophrenia. Comparing acute and chronic paranoid schizophrenia, poverty of content was increased in chronic paranoid schizophrenia. Comparing acute and chronic non paranoid schizophrenia, Pressure of speech was more in acute non paranoid schizophrenia. Conclusion: In this study, there was significant findings in thought, language and communication disorder regarding prevalence, type, severity and differences among acute and chronic cases of schizophrenia were found.