ON THE DESCRIPTIVE VALIDITY OF DSM-III SCHIZOPHRENIA

The study sample is drawn from patients seeking evaluation in a psychiatric intake facility. It concentrates on those who are assigned a diagnosis of psychosis as stipulated in DSM III. The aim is to elucidate the distinguishing characteristics of patients diagnosed as Schizophrenia Disorder. The descriptive validity of this disorder is pursued by systematically comparing clinical and demographic characteristics of patients with this disorder to those diagnosed as Paranoid Disorder, Atypical Psychosis, Brief Reactive Psychosis, Schizoaffective Disorder and Schizophreniform Disorder. These comparisons uncover special characteristics pertaining to the demography and impact of schizophrenia. The results obtained are explained using generalizations drawn from the epidemiology, natural history and clinical manifestations of schizophrenia and other psychoses.