[On a symptom which corresponds with "schizophrenic color" as the impression of schizophrenic disturbance of rapport]

Seishin Shinkeigaku Zasshi. 1991;93(8):617-44.
[Article in Japanese]

Abstract

It is suggested that "schizophrenic color", as the impression of schizophrenic disturbance of rapport, is closely related to the disturbance of communication, especially metacommunication, by many researchers. So the author defined a symptom named "the cognitive schema of others' position", which means others' time-space position in a patient's delusional world, as the symptom being expected to be closely related to the disturbance of the patient's metacommunication at the interaction with others in his delusional world. Then the author examined statistically the relationship of "schizophrenic color" (or the operational diagnosis of schizophrenia according to DSM-III) to "the cognitive schema of others' position" and at the same time to several forms of auditory hallucination having been considered to be significantly related to schizophrenia. 58 hallucinatory-delusional states (29 schizophrenia, 29 non-schizophrenia) were actually examined and some results were pointed out as follows. Observation of the "improper cognitive schema of others' position", which means the fantastic and impossible, for a human being, time-space position of others in a patient's delusional world, was statistically related to the deterioration of "schizophrenic color" or the operational diagnosis of schizophrenia according to DSM-III. This result was considered to be related to the supposition that the "improper cognitive schema of others' position" is a symptom representing the schizophrenic collapse of the cognitive time-space construction as well as the schizophrenic disturbance of metacommunication. Otherwise, the observation of hallucinatory voices speaking and answering directly to the patient, which has been expected to be one of the most important symptoms of schizophrenia, was not statistically related to the deterioration of "schizophrenic color" or the operational diagnosis of schizophrenia according to DSM-III. And the observation of hallucinatory voices arguing about the patient in the third person was statistically related to the improvement of "schizophrenic color" or the operational diagnosis of the non-schizophrenic hallucinatory-delusional state according to DSM-III. Both statistical relationship above were considered to be explained generally from the relationship of "the cognitive schema of others' position" to schizophrenia. According to these results it was finally concluded that the "improper cognitive schema of others' position" is one of the most significant symptoms of the schizophrenic situation represented by the deterioration of "schizophrenic color" or the operational diagnosis of schizophrenia according to DSM-III.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • English Abstract

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Cognition
  • Communication
  • Delusions
  • Female
  • Hallucinations
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Schizophrenia / classification
  • Schizophrenia / diagnosis*
  • Schizophrenic Psychology*