Description

The positive versus negative distinction of schizophrenic disorders has pro- moted ongoing research. Phenomenology, psychopathology, biology, genet- ics, pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatment, psychosocial and longitudinal research: all have found a new focus of interest. This volume attempts to provide an unbiased picture of the status of American and Eu- ropean knowledge regarding the positive/negative distinction. Researchers from North America and Europe describe the relation of modern concepts of positive and negative symptomatology to the original models of Rey- nolds and Jackson. Integrating phenomenological, genetic, and biological factors, the authors depict current methods of assessing positive and nega- tive symptomatology, differentiating between primary and secondary symp- tomatology, and using pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatment. The stability of positive and negative symptoms over time and evidence for the occurrence of separate positive and negative episodes over a long-term course of schizophrenia are extensively discussed in terms of their implica- tions on the positive/negative construct. The relevance of the positive/nega- tive dichotomy to child and adolescent schizophrenia is also debated. The main aim of this book is not to advocate a single concept and present only arguments supporting it, but to discuss important controversies. Prob- lems concerning a concept cannot be solved by ignoring them. However, unanswered questions may be resolved through discussion, debate, and con- structive compromise.

Contribution by: Andreasen, N C, Editor: Marneros, Andreas, Contribution by: Berrios, G E, Editor: Andreasen, Nancy C, Editor: Tsuang, Ming T, Contribution by: Bogerts, B, Contribution by: Brenner, H D, Contribution by: Carpenter, W T, Contribution by: Crow, T J, Contribution by: Deister, A, Contribution by: Eggers, C, Contribution by: Hafner, H, Contribution by: Klimke, A, Contribution by: Lewine, R R J, Contribution by: Lieberman, J a, Contribution by: Marneros, A, Contribution by: Maurer, K, Contribution by: McGuffin, P, Contribution by: Mellor, C S, Contribution by: Meltzer, H y, Contribution by: Moller, H -J, Contribution by: Mundt, C, Contribution by: Remschmidt, H, Contribution by: Rohde, A, Contribution by: Stieglitz, R -D, Contribution by: Tsuang, M T, Contribution by: Kammen, D P Van

Topic: Psychology
Media: Book
ISBN: 3642768431
Language: English
Pages: 466