Tlazoltéotl Health Project: Modification of bizarre behaviors in hospitalized chronic mental patients

Abstract

Six hospitalized chronic mental patients with severe problems of bizarre verbal behavior, participated in a treatment and rehabilitation program. A package of behavioral intervention procedures was used, including instructions, verbal praise, feedback, time-out, overcorrection and reinforcement with tokens exchangeable for a variety of products. Graphic and statistycal analyses indicated the effectiveness of our procedures to reduce bizarre verbal behavior and to increase appropriate verbal behavior. We suggest the neccessity of a more detailed analysis, as well as a carefull control, of the stimulus conditions (conversation topics) under which bizarre verbal behavior is investigated and of the contextual properties of the treatment setting since both may be involved in the particular treatment results obtained