title: Over the mainstream: diagnostic requirements for biological psychiatric research.
abstract: Progress in biological psychiatry is contingent on progress in neurobiology and on research into proper characterisation and assessment of abnormal behavior. Advances in neurobiology are rapid and steady; diagnostic research does not keep pace. On the contrary, the diagnostic approach seems solidified, as today's basic premises are uncritically accepted. The diagnostic requirements for meaningful biological psychiatric research are discussed and contrasted with present-day diagnostic practices. Serious reflection on the state of psychiatric diagnosing is urgently needed.
authors.affiliation: European Graduate School for Neuroscience and Brain and Behavior Research and Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, University of Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: van Praag
mesh_terms: D001689:Biological Psychiatry / Q000639:trends*; D015897:Comorbidity; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011594:Psychometrics; D011599:Psychopathology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results