The Relation of Thought-language Disorders in Schizophrenia with Remission of Symptoms and Psychosocial Improvement

Abstract

Objective Thought and language disorders are one of the fundamental symptom clusters of schizophrenia. Thought disorders that exacerbate in acute episodes might persist during the illness chronically in a vague form. In severe mental disorders such as schizophrenia, psychosocial functioning is an important dimension as well along with symptoms in phases of diagnosis and assessment. The aim of this study is to investigate the relation of thought and language disorders seen in schizophrenia with the course of symptomatic remission (SR) and psychosocial functioning. Method The study was carried out with the sample consisted of 117 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia according to DSM-IV-TR. The patients were assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), the Thought and Language Index (TLI) and the Personal and Social Performance Scale (PSP). Results Statistical significance was found between patients in SR and patients not in SR in terms of poverty of speech, weakening of goal, peculiar logic, impoverishment of thought and disorganization of thought. Peculiar logic, peculiar sentence construction and especially poverty of speech indicating negative formal thought disorder were found to predict the dimensions of psychososcial functioning. Conclusion Patients in SR show less impoverishment of thought/speech and disorganization of thought compared to patients not in SR. Thought and language disorders are significantly correlated with psychosocial dysfunctioning in schizophrenia. Social activities, personal/social relations and aggressive behaviors are associated aspects with impoverishment of thought and disorganization of thought.