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Biomedical subjects

W S Fenton

Publications and source records attributed to W S Fenton.

40 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

The prognostic significance of obsessive-compulsive symptoms in schizophrenia.

Obsessive-compulsive symptomatology has been described in schizophrenia for more than 60 years, but its clinical significance has yet to be explored systematically. This report details the clinical characteristics and long-term course of a group of 21 schizophrenic patients with prominent obsessive-compulsive symptoms from the Chestnut Lodge Follow-Up Study. While this group differed on admission only minimally from schizophrenic patients without obsessive-compulsive symptoms, their long-term outcome in the areas of social relations, employment, psychopathology, and global functioning was significantly, and almost uniformly, poorer. Persistent obsessive-compulsive symptoms thus appear to be a powerful predictor of poor prognosis in schizophrenia.

Adolescent↗

Trends in psychiatric practice, 1965-1980.

The authors compare the results of a study of the practice activities of psychiatrists conducted in 1979-1980 with one conducted in 1965. Although office-based practice has remained the core activity of the profession, psychiatrists in 1979 had a greater tendency to divide their time among multiple practice sites and activities during the work week. As a consequence, the percentage of practitioners working part-time in a variety of organized care settings has increased substantially. These findings support a view of psychiatry as a profession that is far more diversified than it was 15 years ago. The authors discuss major factors affecting trends in psychiatric practice.

Academic Medical Centers↗

Diagnosis of schizophrenia: a critical review of current diagnostic systems.

The data relevant to the evaluation of six systems for diagnosing schizophrenia are reviewed. They are summarized in terms of the reliability, predictive validity, specificity, and comprehensiveness of each system. Unfortunately, none, of these systems (Schneider's First-rank Symptoms, New Haven Schizophrenia Index, Flexible System, Feighner Criteria, Research Diagnostic Criteria, and DSM-III) have established construct validity. It is noted therefore that they are all, in a sense, arbitrary. Choosing one over another cannot be data-based. Because the elevation of any one diagnostic system to an official status is thought to be premature, clinicians and researchers alike are advised to exercise caution and openmindedness in their use of DSM-III. There is as yet no evidence that its criteria for schizophrenia are either less arbitrary or better (in identifying a group of "true" schizophrenics) than those of other systems or DSM-II.

Diagnosis, Differential↗