The Understandability of Diagnostic Criteria Towards the Latest Version of ICD: A National Participatory Research For a More Democratic Approach In The Conceptualization of the Term “Schizophrenia” Among Service Users In Greece

Abstract

The present study was conducted in the framework of the wider international research of WHO for the revision of the ICD with regards to the understandability and relevance of the diagnostic terms of “schizophrenia”. Fifteen service users with a formal diagnosis of “schizophrenia” were recruited from an outpatient service in Athens, Greece. The results showed that most of the commonly encountered symptoms of the diagnosis were understood, but did not necessarily reflect with accuracy the lived experience of the participants. Preliminary correlations of the understandability and need for renaming with regards to socioeconomic factors emerged. Overall, the findings aim to initiate a dialogue on the understandability of diagnostic terms, the way they impact the lives of people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, and possible ways of re-conceptualizing medical terminology with the active involvement of service users.