Abstract
Five published accounts of patients with “schizophrenia” were reviewed in the light of the DSM-III diagnostic criteria. None of the accounts unequivocally met the DSM-III criteria for schizophrenia, but all did meet the criteria for some other psychiatric condition, especially affective disorders. The survey results suggest that popular accounts of “schizophrenia” present a confusing picture of schizophrenia. Inasmuch as these accounts often are invoked to support “cures”, the reading public is doubly misled, as when a naturally remitting condition such as depression is mistakenly called schizophrenia. The psychiatric profession has a responsibility to clarify diagnostic misconceptions put forth in popular literature, and DSM-III might provide more objective guidelines for this much-needed clarification.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 133-137 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Archives of General Psychiatry |
Volume | 38 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 1981 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
- Psychiatry and Mental health