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The DSM-III Concept of Organic Brain Syndrome

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Herbert A. Fox
Herbert A. Fox*
Affiliation:
Gracie Square Hospital, 420 East 76th Street, New York, NY USA and Albert Einstein College of Medicine
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Summary

The shortcomings of the DSM-II classification of organic brain syndrome are described, including the limitation of the concept to the global brain disorders; the idiosyncratic use of the terms acute and chronic; and the unsatisfactory categories psychotic and nonpsychotic. Organic brain syndrome is defined according to DSM-III and the 10 separate brain syndrome categories are outlined. The diagnostic criteria for each category are listed and the general principles underlying the criteria are described. Finally, the goals of the authors' of DSM-III to enhance diagnostic reliability and validity are discussed and the impact of the new nomenclature is assessed.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 142 , Issue 4 , April 1983 , pp. 419 - 421
Copyright
Copyright © 1983 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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References

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