Biomaterial Database

DSM-III and the diagnosis of schizophrenia. 1983

W N Goldstein

In order to achieve more understanding of the diagnosis of schizophrenia, particularly as it relates to DSM-III, a historical review of influential diagnostic systems is undertaken. It is noted which systems are most relevant to DSM-III and which systems DSM-III neglects. With this in mind, strengths and weaknesses of DSM-III are discussed. Although DSM-III provides a precise, reliable, and research-oriented system, it does not provide construct validity, identifies only the most chronic schizophrenics, does not provide either genetic or psychodynamic understanding, and implies therapeutic nihilism. A conclusion is reached, that, regarding the diagnosis of schizophrenia, DSM-III provides diagnostic criteria that are simply arbitrary and of no more use than a number of other systems.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008370	Manuals as Topic	Works about presentation designed to give factual information or instructions.
D009769	Object Attachment	Emotional attachment to someone or something in the environment.	Bonding (Psychology),Bonds, Emotional,Emotional Bonds,Object Relations,Symbiotic Relations (Psychology),Bonding, Psychological,Object Relationship,Psychological Bonding,Attachment, Object,Attachments, Object,Bond, Emotional,Bondings (Psychology),Emotional Bond,Object Attachments,Object Relation,Object Relationships,Relation, Object,Relation, Symbiotic (Psychology),Relations, Object,Relations, Symbiotic (Psychology),Relationship, Object,Relationships, Object,Symbiotic Relation (Psychology)
D011936	Reality Testing	The individual's objective evaluation of the external world and the ability to differentiate adequately between it and the internal world; considered to be a primary ego function.	Reality Testings,Testing, Reality,Testings, Reality
D003674	Defense Mechanisms	Unconscious process used by an individual or a group of individuals in order to cope with impulses, feelings or ideas which are not acceptable at their conscious level; various types include reaction formation, projection and self reversal.	Mechanisms, Defense
D003937	Diagnosis, Differential	Determination of which one of two or more diseases or conditions a patient is suffering from by systematically comparing and contrasting results of diagnostic measures.	Diagnoses, Differential,Differential Diagnoses,Differential Diagnosis
D004328	Drive	A state of internal activity of an organism that is a necessary condition before a given stimulus will elicit a class of responses; e.g., a certain level of hunger (drive) must be present before food will elicit an eating response.	Drives
D004532	Ego	The conscious portion of the personality structure which serves to mediate between the demands of the primitive instinctual drives, (the id), of internalized parental and social prohibitions or the conscience, (the superego), and of reality.	Self,Egos
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D012559	Schizophrenia	A severe emotional disorder of psychotic depth characteristically marked by a retreat from reality with delusion formation, HALLUCINATIONS, emotional disharmony, and regressive behavior.	Dementia Praecox,Schizophrenic Disorders,Disorder, Schizophrenic,Disorders, Schizophrenic,Schizophrenias,Schizophrenic Disorder
D012565	Schizophrenic Psychology	Study of mental processes and behavior of schizophrenics.	Psychology, Schizophrenic