A critical analysis of French psychiatric nosology

Abstract

The authors trace French psychiatric nosology since the turn of the century as it has developed clinical concepts not generally recognized by American psychiatrists. They claim the autonomy of three distinct (non-schizophrenic) chronic delusional psychoses is supported by clinical and statistical data, although current diagnostic practice fails to apply the same criteria to the differentiation of (non-schizophrenic) acute delusional psychoses, also recognized in France as an autonomous group. The authors suggest that French clinical findings have interesting practical implications for the study and treatment of that group of patients diagnosed in America as schizophrenics, a significant percentage of whom would be expected spontaneous remission without treatment.