A plea for a transdiagnostic conceptualization of negative symptoms and for consistent psychiatric vocabulary

When the first author worked in the early 1990s as a student helper in a psychiatric facility, it was regarded as almost diagnostic malpractice to describe any symptoms of a patient with schizophrenia – then called a schizophrenic – as depressive. Following the Kraepelinian dichotomy of dementia praecox/schizophrenia versus manic-depressive illness or depression (Kraepelin, 1899), which was still predominant at that time, many clinicians felt they had to decide between the two. Clearly, the e ntity schizoaffective illness already existed, but such a diagnosis was rejected by many as wishy-washy.
Source: Schizophrenia Research - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Letter to the Editor Source Type: research