Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-t5tsf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-17T17:02:07.487Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The syndrome concept: history and statistical operationalizations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

Adrian C. Weber  and
Christian Scharfetter
Adrian C. Weber*
Affiliation:
Research Department of the Psychiatrische Universitätsklinik, Zürich, Switzerland
Christian Scharfetter
Affiliation:
Research Department of the Psychiatrische Universitätsklinik, Zürich, Switzerland
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr. Adrian C. Weber, Research Department, Psychiatrische Universitätsklinik, Postfach 68, CH 8029, Zürich 8, Switzerland.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Synopsis

A historical analysis of the syndrome concept shows that this term has been used in many different ways, ranging from clinical experience to records of coinciding symptoms. However, there seems to be broad agreement on the use of the word ‘syndrome’ in daily practice. If empirical–mathematical methods are applied in syndrome detection, however, a precise operation-alization of the syndrome concept is needed. Traditional procedures have often used models more dictated by methodological considerations than derived from the field of application, i.e. psychiatric syndromatology. An alternative approach, Boolean factor analysis, is presented in this paper. This relatively new method is illustrated by means of the analysis of a small artificial sample with a known structure. As a point of reference, traditional methods (factor analysis, cluster analysis, and multidimensional scaling) are also briefly discussed. It is demonstrated that they all share a deficiency of information about inter-group structure. In contrast, Boolean factor analysis uses a syndromic definition which builds on the basic notion of concurrent symptoms. Moreover, this approach can easily be understood by clinicians.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 14 , Issue 2 , May 1984 , pp. 315 - 325
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1984

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

American Psychiatric Association (1978). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd edn) (DSM-III). APA: Washington, D.C.Google Scholar
Asendorff, J. & Walbott, H. G. (1979). Masse der Beobachterueber-einstimmung: Ein systematischer Vergleich. Zeitschrift für Sozial-psychologie 10, 243–252.Google Scholar
Berner, P. (1977). Psychiatrische Systematik – ein Lehrbuch. Hans Huber: Bern.Google Scholar
Bonhoeffer, K. (1910). Die symptomatischen Psychosen im Gefolge von akuten Infektionen und inneren Erkrankungen. Deuticke: Leipzig, Vienna.Google Scholar
Cohen, J. (1960). A coefficient of agreement for nominal scales. Education and Psychological Measurement 20, 37–46.Google Scholar
Cronbach, L. & Gleser, G. C. (1958). Assessing similarity between profiles. Psychological Bulletin 50, 456–473.Google Scholar
Engelmann, L., Mickey, M. R. & Mundle, P. (1982). Boolean Factor Analysis – a BMDP program. Dept. of Biomathematics: UCLA, Los Angeles.Google Scholar
Hecker, E. (1871). Die Hebephrenie, Virchows Archiv für pathologische Anatomie 52, 394–429.Google Scholar
Hoche, E. A. (1912). Die Bedeutung der Symptomkomplexe in der Psychiatrie. Zeitschrift für die gesamte Neurologie und Psychiatric 12, 540–551.Google Scholar
Kahlbaum, K. L. (1874). Die Katatonie oder das Spannungsirresein. Hirschwald: Berlin.Google Scholar
Lorr, M., Klett, C. J. & McNair, D. M. (1963). Syndromes of Psychosis. Pergamon Press: New York.Google Scholar
Schneider, C. (1942). Die schizophrenen Symptomverbaende. Monographie aus dem Gesamtgebiet der Neurologie und Psychiatrie 71. Springer: Berlin.Google Scholar
Snell, O. (1865). Über Monomanie als primaere Form der Seelenstoerung. Allgemeine Zeitschrift für Psychiatrie 22, 368–381.Google Scholar
World Health Organization (1978). Manual of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Injuries and Causes of Death (9th revision) (ICD-9). WHO: Geneva.Google Scholar