A checklist for the diagnosis of schizophrenia.

The article presents a study that formalizes the commonality of clinical features which establish a diagnosis of schizophrenia through the development of a valid and realible checklist of symptoms. In establishing a reliable and valid means of diagnosing schizophrenia, it allows one to examine prognosis across institutions and demographically distinct populations. With a consistent way of establishing diagnosis, different modalities and combinations of treatment might be compared, using large population samples both within one cultural group and cross culturally.