U.S. and Soviet perspectives on the diagnosis of schizophrenia and associated dangerousness

During a visit of U.S. senior mental health and forensic experts to the Soviet Union to assess recent changes in Soviet psychiatry, a symposium was held to discuss the U.S. and Soviet concepts of the diagnosis of schizophrenia and dangerousness associated with psychiatric illness. The basic conclusion from this exchange was that significant differences exist between the countries in both areas, as the U.S. conceptualization of schizophrenia and associated dangerousness is considerably narrower than that of Soviet practice. Clearly, future scientific exchange is warranted to examine these conceptual differences in an effort to establish a better empirical basis for assessing the most appropriate medical treatment and legal disposition for patients.