Is cognitive impairment in schizophrenia multidimensional?: implications for assessment and treatment.
Year: 2007
Type: article
Abstract: Since the earliest conceptions ofschizophrenia, dating back to the 19thcentury, there has been a focus on theheterogeneity of the illness. BothKraepelin and Bleuler agreed thatschizophrenia had many differentvariants or subtypes and that thecondition may be the result of morethan one illness process. Kraepelin’sfocus was on the subtypes ofschizophrenia, describing classicalsubtypes that are still contained inthe DSM today. Blueler focused onthe fact that patients withschizophrenia present with an arrayof different symptoms, even if there iscore pathology reflected by thefundamental symptoms (affect,autism, associations, ambivalence). Since that time, the diversity ofschizophrenia has been investigatedthrough studies of symptomaticstructure, often using factor analysis.Symptoms in schizophrenia generallytend to assort themselves into threedifferent dimensions, includingpsychosis (“reality distortion”),negative symptoms, anddisorganization. This dimensionalstructure is found in both treated anduntreated patients, and the structureof changes during treatment arerelated to the dimensions of symptomsseen in untreated patients. Thus,these dimensions have considerablevalidity and temporal stability.
Source: PubMed Central
Author: Philip D Harvey
Institution: Emory University
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W46620227