How doctors can mistake street slang for symptoms of schizophrenia.
“(The patient) speech, however, was peppered with what seemed (to his middle class and older psychiatrist) to be an unusual use of words, although he said they were street slang.
It was thus unclear whether he was displaying subtle signs of formal thought disorder (manifest as disorganised speech, including the use of unusual words or phrases, and neologisms) or using a “street” argot. This was a crucial diagnostic distinction as thought disorder is a feature of psychotic illnesses and can indicate a diagnosis of schizophrenia.
We sought to verify his explanations using an online dictionary of slang (urbandictionary.com). To our surprise, many of the words he used were listed and the definitions accorded with those he gave.”
►http://mindhacks.com/2011/07/27/diagnostic-dilemma-innit-bruv
►http://www.bmj.com/content/335/7633/1294/T1.expansion.html
►http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/115