title: Behavioral changes in hospitalized acute schizophrenics. An ethological perspective.
abstract: Ethological techniques were employed to monitor the behavior of hospitalized patients suffering from acute schizophrenic disorders during the first 4 weeks of hospitalization. Two groups were studied: a) patients whose clinical condition markedly improved (N = 3); and b) patients whose clinical condition showed little or no improvement (N = 3). Method, observational procedures, and the taxonomy of behaviors recorded closely followed previous research of the authors. Data are analyzed in terms of behavioral diversity, the frequency of individual behaviors, and grouped behaviors. Compared to unimproved patients, improved patients showed less behavioral diversity for pathological behaviors and a reception of more social behavior. An analysis of individual behaviors reveals differences between the two groups. Issues relating to the utility of observational methodology and differences between chronic vs. acute schizophrenic populations are discussed.
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012919:Social Behavior