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The frequency of cohesion weakness in psychiatric syndromes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2008

Giampiero Bartolucci*
Affiliation:
McMaster University Medical School
Jonathan Fine
Affiliation:
Bar-Ilan University
*
Giampiero Bartolucci, McMaster University Medical School, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Abstract

The percentage of unclear cohesive ties in the conversation of schizophrenic speakers is significantly higher than in a group of psychiatric patients with mixed diagnoses, mostly affective disorders. This measure of cohesive weakness is not related to the verbal IQ of the patients.

This finding was obtained in patients who were not prejudged to be thought disordered and was based on the analysis of all of their utterances during a ten minute interview. It is concluded that cohesive weakness is a more frequent characteristic of the language of schizophrenic speakers, compared to its incidence in the conversation of psychiatric patients in different diagnostic categories, with the possible exception of manic syndromes.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1987

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