Thought disorder: current assessment, techniques, and future trends.
The early accounts of thought disorder were based primarily on abnormalities in the speech patterns of schizophrenic patients. Researchers have attempted to study and assess this phenomenon based on the verbal behaviors of individuals believed to experience disordered thinking. However, verbal dysfunction may not be the most accurate means of assessing thought disorder in psychiatric patients. A review of studies which have attempted to examine aspects of schizophrenic symptomatology suggests that the self-report technique may be a viable alternative for assessing disordered thought. Schizophrenic patients are able to give accurate accounts of experiences relating to their illness. We believe that the self-report technique may provide a reliable method for thought disorder assessment. Based on this assumption, we are currently in the process of developing a self-report scale which assess 13 constructs we believe to be associated with thinking. In a small sample of subjects, the questionnaire was able to differentiate schizophrenic subjects from normals.
McCarty
T
T
Abraham
B
B
Fry
R
R
Waring
E M
EM
D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D012564:Schizophrenic Language; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires