[Perspectives] Schizophrenia

Dementia praecox, dementia paranoides, catatonia, hebephrenia, stupefaction —just the terms historically associated with schizophrenia could fill up a short essay on the subject. The contentious and surprisingly short history of this diagnosis draws out some of the most difficult questions in psychiatry. Is schizophrenia a natural entity, awaiting objective description, o r does it emerge from a shifting intersection of contexts? Is good practice a matter of grouping disorders into broad categories based on underlying resemblances, or does accurate diagnosis depend on breaking these generalisations down into lists of specific symptoms?
Source: LANCET - Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Perspectives Source Type: research