Am J Psychiatry 1981; 138:954-958
Copyright © 1981 by American Psychiatric Association
New directions in diagnosis: the longitudinal processes of schizophrenia
JS Strauss, JJ Bartko and WT Carpenter Jr
Kraepelin's description of "dementia praecox" was a synthesizing influence
in a field that had for too long been fragmented in its thinking about
severe psychiatric disorders. Now, once again, the field is attempting to
deal with some of the complexities involved in psychopathology and its
evolution, complexities that have been reemphasized by newer descriptive
research methods. To account for patients deviations from stereotyped
diagnostic and prognostic concepts, multiple aspects of course of disorder
have been defined and principles of multiaxial diagnosis supported. These
principles can provide a basic structure for practice and research using a
biopsychosocial orientation within the context of a system model.
