Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience : JPN logoLink to Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience : JPN
. 1992 Jun;17(2):55–60.

The dimensional approach to clinical psychopharmacology: a polysemous concept.

P Baruch 1, M J Filteau 1, R H Bouchard 1, E Pourcher 1, P Vincent 1, R Jouvent 1
PMCID: PMC1188401  PMID: 1637800

Abstract

The last decade has seen significant progress in the development and specific clinical application of selective psychotropes. The dimensional approach to clinical psychopharmacology views the behavioral targets of psychotropes as phenomena existing on a continuum and as components, in varying degrees, of most psychopathologies. The modern concept of dimension has been used in different contexts. In psychology it has a mathematical sense, whereas in biological psychiatry it is associated more with biological function. This paper reviews these two concepts and the recent models attempting to merge them into one. The heuristic value of the dimensional approach, as well as some of its pitfalls and new avenues of research, are discussed.

Full text

PDF
55

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Andreasen N. C., Olsen S. Negative v positive schizophrenia. Definition and validation. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1982 Jul;39(7):789–794. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.1982.04290070025006. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Asberg M., Träskman L., Thorén P. 5-HIAA in the cerebrospinal fluid. A biochemical suicide predictor? Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1976 Oct;33(10):1193–1197. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.1976.01770100055005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Ashcroft G. W., Crawford T. B., Eccleston D., Sharman D. F., MacDougall E. J., Stanton J. B., Binns J. K. 5-hydroxyindole compounds in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with psychiatric or neurological diseases. Lancet. 1966 Nov 12;2(7472):1049–1052. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(66)92028-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Azmitia E. C., Whitaker-Azmitia P. M. Awakening the sleeping giant: anatomy and plasticity of the brain serotonergic system. J Clin Psychiatry. 1991 Dec;52 (Suppl):4–16. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Banki C. M., Arató M., Papp Z., Kurcz M. Biochemical markers in suicidal patients. Investigations with cerebrospinal fluid amine metabolites and neuroendocrine tests. J Affect Disord. 1984 Jun;6(3-4):341–350. doi: 10.1016/s0165-0327(84)80012-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Brown G. L., Goodwin F. K., Ballenger J. C., Goyer P. F., Major L. F. Aggression in humans correlates with cerebrospinal fluid amine metabolites. Psychiatry Res. 1979 Oct;1(2):131–139. doi: 10.1016/0165-1781(79)90053-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Cloninger C. R. A systematic method for clinical description and classification of personality variants. A proposal. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1987 Jun;44(6):573–588. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.1987.01800180093014. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Eison M. S. The new generation of serotonergic anxiolytics: possible clinical roles. Psychopathology. 1989;22 (Suppl 1):13–20. doi: 10.1159/000284622. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. HAMILTON M. A rating scale for depression. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1960 Feb;23:56–62. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.23.1.56. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Jouvent R. Evaluating the affective and cognitive effects of a drug: theoretical and methodological considerations. Arch Gerontol Geriatr Suppl. 1989;1:165–172. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kay S. R., Fiszbein A., Opler L. A. The positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS) for schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull. 1987;13(2):261–276. doi: 10.1093/schbul/13.2.261. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Linnoila M., Virkkunen M., Scheinin M., Nuutila A., Rimon R., Goodwin F. K. Low cerebrospinal fluid 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid concentration differentiates impulsive from nonimpulsive violent behavior. Life Sci. 1983 Dec 26;33(26):2609–2614. doi: 10.1016/0024-3205(83)90344-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Ninan P. T., van Kammen D. P., Scheinin M., Linnoila M., Bunney W. E., Jr, Goodwin F. K. CSF 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid levels in suicidal schizophrenic patients. Am J Psychiatry. 1984 Apr;141(4):566–569. doi: 10.1176/ajp.141.4.566. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Peroutka S. J., Sleight A. J., McCarthy B. G., Pierce P. A., Schmidt A. W., Hekmatpanah C. R. The clinical utility of pharmacological agents that act at serotonin receptors. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 1989 Summer;1(3):253–262. doi: 10.1176/jnp.1.3.253. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Praag H. M., Korf J., Lakke JPWF, Schut T. Dopamine metabolism in depressions, psychoses, and Parkinson's disease: the problem of the specificity of biological variables in behaviour disorders. Psychol Med. 1975 May;5(2):138–146. doi: 10.1017/s0033291700056385. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Siever L. J., Davis K. L. A psychobiological perspective on the personality disorders. Am J Psychiatry. 1991 Dec;148(12):1647–1658. doi: 10.1176/ajp.148.12.1647. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Stelmack R. M. Advances in personality theory and research. J Psychiatry Neurosci. 1991 Sep;16(3):131–138. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. VAN PRAAGH, LEIJNSE B. NEUBEWERTUNG DES SYNDROMS. SKIZZE EINER FUNKTIONELLEN PATHOLOGIE. Psychiatr Neurol Neurochir. 1965 Jan-Feb;68:50–66. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Widlöcher D. J. Psychomotor retardation: clinical, theoretical, and psychometric aspects. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 1983 Mar;6(1):27–40. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. van Praag H. M. Biological suicide research: outcome and limitations. Biol Psychiatry. 1986 Nov;21(13):1305–1323. doi: 10.1016/0006-3223(86)90314-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. van Praag H. M., Kahn R. S., Asnis G. M., Wetzler S., Brown S. L., Bleich A., Korn M. L. Denosologization of biological psychiatry or the specificity of 5-HT disturbances in psychiatric disorders. J Affect Disord. 1987 Jul-Aug;13(1):1–8. doi: 10.1016/0165-0327(87)90067-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience are provided here courtesy of Canadian Medical Association

RESOURCES