In psychology, graphorrhea, or graphorrhoea, is a communication disorder expressed by excessive wordiness with minor or sometimes incoherent rambling, specifically in written work.
[1] Graphorrhea is most commonly associated with schizophrenia[2][3][4][5] but can also result from several psychiatric and neurological disorders such as aphasia, thalamic lesions, temporal lobe epilepsy[6] and mania.
In the case of schizophrenia, behavioural symptoms, such as graphorrhea, are being objectified and quantified under 'e-semiotics' (the study of electronic signs and their interpreted meanings).
The anticipated result of the new computerized system is that patients with manic episodes will have an easier way to 'write' their thoughts using SMS (short message service).
[12] This failed interaction between dopamine receptors is associated with poor cognitive task performance affecting the measures of goal maintenance (GM) and the working memory (WM),[13] necessary to produce understandable writing.
[16] In terms of current treatment for schizophrenic symptoms related to graphorrhoea, at first instance antipsychotics are offered to the patient and then a course of maintenance therapy.
Once a point of stability is reached, maintenance therapy addresses self-care and mood dysfunctions in order to avoid relapse of an acute psychotic episode.
Aphasia is a disorder diminishing the ability to understanding and formulating language,[18] which includes a difficulty in communicating through writing (graphorrhea).
The treatment tackled the use mobile phone typing to re-educate single word spelling to patients suffering with severe aphasia.
Typing simply utilises motor movements and spatial memory of the keys, unlike handwriting which makes use of individual allographs needed to differentiate between each letter.
These peripheral skills necessary for handwriting impacted the corrective process of written communication more efficiently, in individuals suffering with aphasia.