title: Subjective experience of language impairment and psychopathology in schizophrenia.
abstract: The principal concern of this paper lies in the exploration of the possible role of the subjective experience of language impairment in shaping schizophrenic symptomatology. A previous model embracing the basic symptom theory and the vulnerability paradigm hypothesized that (self-perceived) impairment of receptive and expressive language and alexithymia may play a relevant role in facilitating the development of a nonparanoid prototype of schizophrenia. The experimental protocol which led to this model [emphasizing the comprehensive notion of 'language capacity' as pathoplastic modulator of overt schizophrenic syndromes (i.e. pathoplastic model)] was replicated on a wider schizophrenic sample, assessing contextually with diagnostic symptoms, depressive symptoms, alexithymia, subjective experience of negative symptoms and hedonic capacity. Since schizophrenics with self-experienced language capacity impairment did not differ from other schizophrenics, as regards positive, negative and disorganized symptoms, but just in negative symptom-related distress, an alternative interpretation of the possible role of the subjective experience of language impairment in schizophrenic psychopathology is proposed (i.e. idioplastic hypothesis).
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychiatry, University of Parma, Parma, Italy. carlo.maggini@unipr.it
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Maggini
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Raballo
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pelizza
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paini
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Croci
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007806:Language Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012559:Schizophrenia; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires