Experimental psychosis research and schizophrenia—Similarities and dissimilarities in psychopathology

Abstract

The aim of experimental psychopathology is to delineate overlapping functional disorders of psychoneurobiologically-defined systems where a set of common symptoms may correspond to a variety of nosological entities. According to the vulnerability model of psychosis, experimental research needs to go beyond categories such as “schizophrenia”. Prospective studies of the effects of psychoactive substances in normal control subjects offer several methodological advantages over routine clinical reviews of schizophrenic patients, especially in terms of standardization. Carefully designed studies utilizing a model psychosis paradigm are a step toward symptom-oriented research. Combining psychological and neurobiological techniques, the experimental psychopathological approach can provide us with a valuable tool for psychiatric research.