THE CORE SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA

The diagnosis of schizophrenia is made on the basis of a diverse set o f characteristic signs and symptoms. These include disturbances in per ception and inference, abnormalities in communication, behaviour and m otor activity, and deficits in emotional expressivity, hedonic capacit y and drive. No single symptom or set of symptoms is pathognomonic, an d the question of which symptoms are indeed at the 'core' of schizophr enia has been an issue of much debate, opinion and study since the dis order was first described a century ago, In this review, the symptoms emphasized in current diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia are descri bed and the relative importance of these symptoms in the evolution of the schizophrenia construct is discussed.