Am J Psychiatry 1987; 144:99-102
Copyright © 1987 by American Psychiatric Association
Ethological study of facial behavior in nonparanoid and paranoid schizophrenic patients
RK Pitman, B Kolb, SP Orr and MM Singh
This investigation addressed the question of affective disturbance in
schizophrenia by applying quantitative measurement techniques to patients'
facial behavior. The subjects were medication-free male inpatients: nine
nonparanoid and six paranoid schizophrenic patients and 12 drug- or
alcohol-abuse rehabilitation control patients. Two judges scored the
subjects' behavior, which was recorded on videotape, according to a system
that included 16 different types of facial movements. Eye blinks, eye
contact, and words spoken were also scored. Compared to the control
patients, the nonparanoid schizophrenic patients spoke significantly fewer
words and had significantly less eye contact, while the paranoid
schizophrenic patients had significantly fewer eyebrow and lower facial
movements.
