title: Nosology is usually wrong, but is a test bed for science: a commentary on Markon.
abstract: Kristian Markon (2013) is generally right in his diagnostic assessment but less so in his solutions. Nosology gets in the way of science when it becomes authoritative, as it often prevents science from proceeding in the systematic way that it would do otherwise, but the solution is not to abandon formal nosologies. Rather, we should endeavor to stop them from becoming authoritative, by overcoming nosological practice when it stands in the way of science. By considering the different functions of nosology and science, it is possible to get a compromise.
authors.affiliation: Imperial College, London.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tyrer
mesh_terms: D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000145:classification*