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IN A REVIEW, "Sociocultural Factors in the Epidemiology of Schizophrenia," which appeared in the November 1963 issue of Psychiatry, Mishler and Scotch 6 remind us that reliability in the diagnosis of schizophrenia is so poor that:
In one study, three psychiatrists agreed in only 20 percent of their cases and had a majority agreement in only 48 percent. Another study revealed that the widest disagreement occurred among the most experienced clinicians.
These authors go on to note that the problem does not end there, for they seem to believe that the psychologist and social anthropologist cannot agree on how they should study whatever subject it is, and find that most available studies range in value from questionable to useless:
It is not difficult to criticize the state of the field—few studies are available, concepts and methods are unclear and unstandardized, findings are inconsistent and speculation abounds in the absence of reliable empirical knowledge.
The authors, having reviewed a wealth of material, conclude with the disappointing note that nothing of really interesting significance has yet appeared.