A comparison of DSM-III and DSM-III-R schizophrenia.
The authors compared DSM-III and DSM-III-R definitions of schizophrenia among 532 inpatients treated in a long-term residential setting and reevaluated an average of 15 years later. Largely by excluding those with nonbizarre delusions (somatic, grandiose, or religious) without hallucinations, DSM-III-R reduced the number of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia by 10%. With the exception of the sign and symptom variables used to define them, the DSM-III schizophrenic patients included (N = 164) and excluded (N = 18) by DSM-III-R did not differ with respect to demographic, premorbid, or long-term outcome characteristics. The authors argue that frequent changes in diagnostic schemes in the absence of evidence of improved validity are likely to impede progress in research.
Fenton
W S
WS
Chestnut Lodge Research Institute, Rockville, MD 20850.
McGlashan
T H
TH
Heinssen
R K
RK
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology