SPEECH AND LANGUAGE IN FIRST ONSET PSYCHOSIS DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PEOPLE WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA, MANIA, AND CONTROLS

Background. Several studies have revealed linguistic differences betwe en diagnostic groups. This study investigates the extent to which thes e differences are accounted for by factors such as chronicity, or dist urbances in cognition associated with acute psychosis. Method. Transcr ipts of interviews with patients suffering from RDC schizophrenia (n=3 8), mania (n=11) and controls (n=16) were examined using the Brief Syn tactic Analysis (BSA). Patients were within two years of first onset o f psychotic symptoms, and received tests of working memory and attenti on. Results. The speech of patients with schizophrenia was syntactical ly less complex than that of controls. Patients with schizophrenia and mania made more errors than controls. These differences were, to some extent, related to group differences in social class, working memory and attention, although significant group differences in language pers isted after the effects of Covariates were removed. Conclusions. The s tudy confirms the existence of differences in the speech of psychiatri c patients. Low complexity appears to be a particular feature of speec h in schizophrenia, even in the earliest stages oi the condition. The importance of this finding is discussed in relation to two recent theo ries of schizophrenia: Crow's evolutionary model, and Frith's neuro-ps ychological model.