Schizophrenics More Likely to Misinterpret Social Cues

the Psychiatry Advisor take:

Those with schizophrenia often misread social cues, which can lead to them having having unpleasant or even paranoid thoughts.

Sukhi Shergill, PhD, of King’s College London, England, and colleagues looked at the behavior of 54 participants, 29 of which had schizophrenia. The participants looked at the body position and gestures of an actor on a silent video clip. Gestures such as scratching an eye or putting a finger on the lips to indicate silence were played.

Although the patients with schizophrenia were able to interpret gestures as well as as healthy subjects, when the gestures were ambiguous, they were more likely to misinterpret the the gestures as directed towards them, the researchers reported in the journal Psychological Medicine.

Te researchers believe believe this could indicate an increased tendency to self-infer these ambiguous social cues or to “hyper-mentalize,” falsely inferring intent in the actions of others.

“Our study offers a basis for psychological interventions aimed at improving gestural interpretation,” Shergill said in a statement. “It could also provide guidance for health professionals and care-givers on how to communicate with patients who have schizophrenia, in order to reduce misinterpretations of non-verbal behavior.”