Sb. Roberts et al., CONFIRMATION OF THE DIAGNOSIS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA AFTER DEATH USING DSM-IV - A VICTORIAN EXPERIENCE, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 32(1), 1998, pp. 73-76
Objective: This study examines the reliability of antemortem diagnoses
of schizophrenia using DSM-IV criteria. Method: The case histories of
83 subjects with a provisional diagnosis of schizophrenia at autopsy
were retrospectively reviewed using a semi-structured chart review and
application of DSM-IV criteria. Agreement between antemortem and post
mortem diagnoses of schizophrenia was examined, as well as the concord
ance between DSM-IV diagnoses and previously obtained diagnoses using
DSM-III-R and ICD-10 criteria for schizophrenia. Results: According to
DSM-IV, 30.1% of cases did not have schizophrenia, compared to 36.1%
using DSM-III-R criteria and 51.8% of cases using ICD-10 criteria. Con
cordance between DSM-IV and DSM-III-R diagnoses of schizophrenia was e
xcellent (kappa = 0.81), but only fair between DSM-IV and ICD-10 (kapp
a = 0.57). Of the cases that did not meet the formal criteria for schi
zophrenia, the majority were reassigned diagnoses of schizoaffective d
isorder and affective disorder. Conclusions: The use of human brain ti
ssue in postmortem studies of schizophrenia must be linked to standard
ised diagnostic assessment procedures. Diagnoses can be upgraded with
the development of new criteria, providing sufficient clinical data is
available in case histories.