POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS - WHICH ARE MORE APPROPRIATE AS DIAGNOSTIC-CRITERIA FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA

For over a decade there has been a consensus that the diagnosis of sch izophrenia should rest upon the presence of positive symptoms. Recentl y it has been suggested to give negative symptoms, which have played a prominent role in research, more diagnostic importance again. This st udy investigated the usefulness of that suggestion. In a sample of 489 inpatients covering the whole range of psychiatric diagnoses, the fre quencies and prevalences of positive and negative symptoms were determ ined. Analyses of variance were calculated to assess the diagnostic va lidity of the different classes of symptoms. The study demonstrates th at positive symptoms are of much higher diagnostic value than negative symptoms. A change of diagnostic procedures giving more importance to negative symptoms is discouraged.