Thinking in paranoid schizophrenia and schizotypical disorder: a comparative study

The aim of the study was to investigate the neuropsychological and patopsyhological characteristics of thinking in various forms of schizophrenia. The study involved 75 patients with paranoid schizophrenia and 52 patients with schizotypal disorder. The findings suggest that disturbances of thinking in patients with paranoid schizophrenia are associated primarily with the inability to effectively use, apply thinking in solving practical problems. As a result of inadequate use of mental operations decreased intellectual indicators (in the form of lower intelligence). Patients with paranoid schizophrenia was significantly different (at a high level of statistic significance) from patients with schizotypal disorder in individual characteristics of thinking activity: worse differentiate and analyze the structure (whole); show less capacity for dynamic (fast) observation and tracking regular changes, they are less able to differentiate the elements and identify the relationship between elements of the "gestalt" and others. The article also discusses the definition of differential criteria in the evaluation of thinking, there is the presence of qualitative and quantitative approaches in assessing breaches of thinking among domestic medical psychologists.