MULTIDIMENSIONAL HIERARCHICAL ORDERING OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY - RASCH ANALYSIS IN FACTOR-ANALYTIC DIMENSIONS

Both the classification based on independent psychiatric categories as well as the concept of an underlying 1-dimensional hierarchy of syndromes are insufficiently valid. At symptom level we previously found 5 factor-analytical components representing 6 dimensions of psychopathology. Rasch analysis based on the prevalence of signs and symptoms now demonstrates the presence of hierarchic patterns in each of these dimensions. Manic, psychotic and rare neurotic symptoms, being the negative instances of the 1-dimensional hierarchy, contribute to high rates of hierarchic patterns in this multidimensional hierarchic model. Depending on the dimension tested, 5% to 13% of the patterns were nonhierarchic.