The author presents the classical nosology of depressive states, with its five main categories (depression belonging to the manic-depressive psychosis, involutional organic-symptomatic, psychogenic, depressive personality disorder). He comments on the two recent modifications: distinction between the unipolar and bipolar forms, suppression of the category of involutional depression. He presents finally the two modern nosological systems, ICD 9, a relatively traditional nosology, and DSM III whose fundamental principles and categories are discussed.

Affective Disorders, Psychotic↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Status of diagnosis and classification in the 1980's. France and the French-speaking tradition].

The author describes historical origins of some particularities of the traditional French nosology, distinguishing it from other nosologies, in particular from ICD-9. In comparison to this classification, French nosology limits the scope of schizophrenia, increases the scope of delusional states in a different way in the frame of "chronic delusions" or "chronic delusional states" and introduces a specific diagnostic class, the "bouffée délirante" (which does not strictly corresponds to the category in ICD-9).

Delusions↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Remedicalization of psychiatry].

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Humans↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Integrated lists of taxonomic evaluation criteria: LICET-S and LICET-D].

LICET-S and LICET-D are diagnostic instruments containing all diagnostic criteria for two major groups of disorders. LICET-S assembles the criteria proposed for non-affective psychoses in 9 different systems. LICET-D integrates the criteria defining the depressive categories listed in 7 different systems. Initially constructed to elaborate empirical criteria for specific categories pertaining to traditional French nosology, the two lists also permit to formulate diagnostic decisions according to 9 respectively 7 classification systems, on the basis of the algorithms defining each of the systems under discussion. The authors present the rationale that led to the construction of the LICET-system. They describe the composition of the two lists and the guidelines for use of the system. They finally illustrate the utility of the instruments on the basis of results obtained in recent investigations.

Depressive Disorder↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[1st results of the DiaSiKa diagnostic system].

Clinical diagnoses of 61 psychiatric in-patients were compared with diagnoses obtained from the French version of a computer system for psychiatric diagnosis (DiaSiKa) based on the AMDP-rating scale. The concordance between diagnoses was comparable to the German original version of the diagnostic system. Its usefulness and practical advantages in psychiatric research are discussed.

Depressive Disorder↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Quantification in psychiatry: from psychometrics to quantitative psychiatry].

The development of quantitative techniques to analyse psychopathological states is reviewed from the XVIIIth Century till today. As far as back as the XIXth Century, Quetelet, Louis and Galton introduced and advocated the use of quantitative methods in medical and psychological sciences. The advent of psychometry dates back 1905, when Alfred Binet published his Intelligence Scale. The construction of instruments like Wechsler and MMPI scales in the forties starts using psychometry in psychiatry. At end of World War II, historical factors (selection and guidance of military recruits) in conjunction with technical advancements (beginning of psychopharmacology, multivariate statistics development and first computers arrival) favor the growth of quantitative psychopathology that further takes four great different courses: 1. Psychometry proper, 2. Symptom-quantifying assessment scales such as BPRS or Hamilton scales, 3. New nosological models constructed using quantified psychopathological data and mathematical procedures, 4. Diagnostic systems relying on operationalized criteria based on psychopathological quantification, such as DSM III.

Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[The future of the concept of depression].

The history of the concept of depression is briefly reviewed. First described under the name of melancholia as a delusional state, then, since Esquirol, as a primary mood disorder, it was subdivided by Kraepelin in diseases characterised by an hypothetical etiology and is considered, since 1980, as a syndrome with many sub-varieties. The nature of the three possible models is discussed. The first two, until now used, which considered depression either as a disease or as a syndrome, are categorical. The first has been provisorily abandoned, due to the insufficiency of scientific proofs about the etio-pathogeny; the second, despite its growing complexity, is obviously not satisfactory. The third model, dimensional, which attracts a growing attention in other field of psychiatric nosology, offers for the time being a possible alternative.

Depressive Disorder↗