Disorganised symptoms
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Disorganised symptoms

What are disorganised symptoms in bipolar disorder?

Key features of the symptoms of disorganisation include disorganised speech and behaviour, as well as inappropriate affect. Severely disorganised speech is difficult to follow, being incoherent, irrelevant and/or illogical. These symptoms are sometimes called positive formal thought disorder symptoms. Disorganised speech may also be deprived of content, which is sometimes called negative formal thought disorder symptoms. Disorganised behaviour includes bizarre or inappropriate behaviour, actions or gestures. Inappropriate (incongruous) affect involves exhibiting incorrect emotional responses for a given context. Symptoms of disorganisation have been identified as risk factors for poor illness outcome, and have a significant negative effect on a person’s day-to-day functioning and quality of life. There is evidence to suggest that disorganisation symptoms may be associated with impaired cognition.

What is the evidence for disorganised symptoms in people with bipolar disorder?

Moderate to high quality evidence suggests a small to medium-sized effect of less formal thought disorder in people with bipolar disorder than in people with schizophrenia. This effect is significant only in non-acute, stable patients.

October 2021

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Last updated at: 5:18 pm, 15th February 2022
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Tags:  Disorganised symptoms General cognition

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