Disordered Thinking

Abstract

• To evaluate formulations that thought disorder at the posthospital phase identifies a subgroup of nuclear schizophrenics with poor outcomes, 77 patients from a longitudinal project were followed up on major dimensions of psychopathology linked to nuclear schizophrenia. The data indicate that (1) schizophrenics were more thought disordered than were nonschizophrenics at the posthospital phase; (2) thought-disordered schizophrenics had only slightly poorer scores on classic prognostic indicators associated with poor outcomes; (3) a subgroup of early chronic schizophrenics were not severely thought disordered; (4) almost all severely thought-disordered schizophrenics demonstrated clear evidence of delusional activity at follow-up; and (5) thoughtdisordered schizophrenics had poorer outcomes. The overall results fit in with formulations that a severe thought disorder is one of several major features of schizophrenia. The data suggest that posthospital thought disorder identifies a subgroup of poor-outcome schizophrenics, although some nonthought-disordered schizophrenics also show poor outcomes.