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Language therapy for schizophrenic patients with persistent 'voices'
1Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT.
Summary
Schizophrenia patients experiencing voices may have altered speech planning. A language therapy targeting discourse planning temporarily reduced voice severity in some patients, suggesting a link between speech planning and auditory hallucinations.
Area of Science:
- Psycholinguistics
- Clinical Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Auditory hallucinations ('voices') in schizophrenia are often linked to disorganized speech, suggesting impaired discourse planning.
- However, some patients with voices do not exhibit disorganized speech, presenting a counterexample to this hypothesis.
Observation:
- These 'counterexample' patients may compensate for discourse planning deficits by simplifying language and using familiar topics.
- A novel language therapy aimed at improving discourse planning was given to four such patients.
Findings:
- Three of the four patients experienced significant, though temporary, reductions in the severity of their auditory hallucinations.
- This suggests that interventions targeting discourse planning may impact the experience of voices.
Implications:
- The findings support the hypothesis that altered preconscious discourse planning contributes to auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia.
- This opens avenues for therapeutic strategies focusing on cognitive and linguistic processes in schizophrenia treatment.