A symptom analysis of the DSM-III definition of schizophrenia

With the recent introduction of DSM-III has come a renewed interest in psychiatric classification. The development of specific criteria for diagnosis was designed to objectify heretofore suspect diagnostic procedures. However, this potential objectivity may be offset by shortcomings in the specific symptoms that define the syndrome. The experiment reported examined the DSM-III definition of schizophrenia by analyzing the characteristics of the individual symptoms. Certain problem areas are noted, and recommendations are made as to how the definition might be strengthened.