[Diagnosis of mixed psychoses]

The author presents a review of views on so-called "medium or mixed" endogenous psychoses, starting with Kraepelin and Bleuler to the present time, the creation of the term "schizoaffective psychosis (disorder)" in diagnostic classifications. He draws attention to the still persisting influence of Kraepelin-Bleuler diagnostics, incl. their controversial character as regards the classification of so-called "mixed psychoses". Other diagnostic concepts were either completely or are enforced with great difficulties. On the diagnosis of schizoactive psychosis the author demonstrates the changing understanding of its contents and thus also the controversial attitude to the diagnosis in the course of time which was reflected in the development of diagnostic classifications. The paper also comprises the author's study of the frequency of diagnosis of endogenous psychic disorders in the Psychiatric Research Institute (present name Psychiatric Centre Prague) in the course of 29 years. The study indicates that from the sixties the diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder played the role of a buffer between the schizophrenic and manic-depressive area. It helped to solve ranae of the unstable concept of schizophrenia and classification of atypical forms of endogenous psychoses. The study indicates that there exists possibly a closer relation between the schizoaffective disorder and affective disorders than with schizophrenia. In the conclusion the author appreciates the asset of classifications DSM-III and ICD-10 for the definition and differentiation of schizoaffective disorders.