The British Journal of Psychiatry 139: 519-522 (1981)
© 1981 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Language dysfunction in schizophrenia
R Faber and MB Reichstein
Similarities between language disorders in aphasia and formal thought
disorder in schizophrenia are explored in 24 schizophrenic, 5 manic and 5
depressed psychiatric in-patients, and 28 normal controls. Eight sub- tests
from the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination, a picture naming test and
the Token test were administered. Schizophrenics with formal thought
disorder showed significant abnormalities compared to all other groups,
particularly on the Token Test and the repetition of phrases test. These
deficits are suggestive of language comprehension and repetition
dysfunctions in a substantial minority of rigorously defined
schizophrenics.