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Original papers:
David Kingdon, Selvarej Vincent, Sylvia Vincent, Yoshihiro Kinoshita, and Douglas Turkington
Destigmatising schizophrenia: does changing terminology reduce negative attitudes?
Psychiatr Bull 2008; 32: 419-422 [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]
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[Read eLetter] Renaming Mental Disorders
Andrew Al-Adwani   (23 November 2008)

Renaming Mental Disorders 23 November 2008
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Andrew Al-Adwani,
Psychiatrist
Great Oaks Psychiatric Unit, Ashby High Street, Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire

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Re: Renaming Mental Disorders

al-adwani{at}ntlworld.com Andrew Al-Adwani

I believe that a name change for schizophrenia would be a good idea. Whether a lumper or a splitter though, the four types of schizophrenia tentatively proposed by the authors (Kingdon, et.al., 2008) do not seem to cleave at the joint and would cause serious problems for atheoretical classification systems. The idea, for instance, of traumatic schizophrenia might become hopelessly entangled with emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD). In some ways EUPD is more stigmatising than schizophrenia due to the reaction of dread and therapeutic nihilism it causes amongst a number of psychiatrists. Maybe the inclusion of EUPD in 'bipolar spectrum disorder' was, in part, motivated by similar concerns, but here the reverse problem applies of the eitiologies being so obviously different. I talk to patients with EUPD about 'developmental emotional instability' and maybe we ought to have a taxonomy, as in many fields, of a common and a scientific name for disorders.

KINGDON D,VINCENT S,VINCENT S, KINOSHITA Y, TURKINGTON D (2008) Destigmatising schizophrenia: does changing terminology reduce negative attitudes? Psychiatric Bulletin,32,419-422.