title: Towards diagnostic markers for the psychoses.
abstract: Psychotic disorders are currently grouped under broad phenomenological diagnostic rubrics. Researchers hope that progress in identifying aetiological mechanisms will ultimately enable more precise division of heterogeneous diagnoses into specific and valid subgroups. This goal has been an aim of psychiatry since the 19th century, when patients with general paresis were thought to have "insanity" similar to dementia praecox and manic depressive illness. Nowadays, the constructs of organic-induced and substance-induced psychotic disorder show that our diagnostic classification system already reflects, in part, aetiological factors. Most recently, gene copy number variation and autoimmunity have been associated with schizophrenia. We suggest how, on the basis of recent scientific advances, we can progress the identification of further putative subgroups and make the most of currently available interventions. Prompt diagnosis and treatment, and a more routine search for causes, could preserve function and improve outcome, and therefore be more acceptable to patients and carers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Kennedy Tower, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh, UK. Electronic address: s.lawrie@ed.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Stephen M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Lawrie
authors.affiliation: MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
authors.forename: Michael C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: O'Donovan
authors.affiliation: USC Gould School of Law, University of Southern California, Los Angela, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Elyn
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Saks
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Burns
authors.affiliation: Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Jeffrey A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Lieberman
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers; D006801:Humans; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers