AN EAR FOR MUSIC IN PATIENTS WITH PARANOID SCHIZOPHRENIA AND SCHIZOAFFECTIVE DISORDER: METHODOLOGY OF DETERMINATION AND RESULTS

Abstract

The work outlined the methodology of diagnosis of ear for music and the results of its determination in patients with paranoid schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder compared with healthy individuals.

The aim of the study – scientific substantiation of the importance and efficiency of the methodology of diagnosis of ear for music in patients with paranoid schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.

Materials and Methods. The paper surveyed the ear for music in 160 people aged 18 to 35 years, out of them 40 patients with paranoid schizophrenia (F20), 40 patients with schizoaffective disorder (F25), who were treated at the third clinical department of CI of the Lviv Regional Clinical Psychiatric Hospital for the period 2015 and 80 healthy persons. Laboratory diagnosis of ear for music was conducted on the basis of the adapted methodology of J. Ayot. The general laboratory diagnostic test consisted of seven subtest, each of which was aimed at revealing the quality of the perception of music.

Results and Discussion. Comparison of psychoacoustic properties among healthy and sick persons showed a reliable (p<0.05) difference in these groups not only in general, but also by gender. The largest number of patients of both sexes had developed the ear for music among patients with schizoaffective disorder – (80.00±6.32) % (92.86±6.88) % men and (73.08±8.70) % women with this pathology). In the group of patients with paranoid schizophrenia was the lowest specific weight of persons with the developed ear for music – (30.00±7.25) % (33.33±8.21) % men and (14.29±13.23) % women of this group). In the control group of healthy individuals, specific weight of people with advanced ear for music was (66.25±5.29) % (59.26±9.46) % men and (69.81±6.31) % women).

Conclusions. This study demonstrated the feasibility of determining musical abilities in patients with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders, which would allow to broaden the prognostic-diagnostic perspectives in psychiatric practice.