The primary goals of this investigation are to determine the extent of language abnormalities in mania and schizophrenia, to map them functionally, and to assess them longitudinally. The investigation proposes to evaluate both language perception and language production. Evaluation of language perception will focus on both syntactical and semantic processing using experimental tasks originally developed in psycholinguistic studies of normal speech. Pragmatic aspects of language will be evaluated by examining language production with three methods: a rating scale developed by the investigator which assesses severity and type of language disorder, linguistic approaches which emphasize reference and cohesion, and a computerized taxonomic approach. Rigorous diagnostic criteria are used for the definition of patient groups, and the full spectrum of psychotic disorders will be studied (i.e., mania, schizoaffective disorder, paranoid schizophrenia, and hebephrenic schizophrenia). Evaluations will be completed longitudinally, with assessment at admission, at discharge, and at two months after discharge.
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