Objective: Axis V, which uses the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale in the multiaxial system ofDSM-III-R, is under review for DSM-IV. This article examines what is known about axis V and selectively reviews the literature on measures ofsocial functioning to identify potential alternatives to the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale. Method: About 25 studies on the use, reliability, and v...

background : there is an increasing incidence of colorectal cancer in malaysia. the aim of this study is to evaluate sociodemographic data, knowledge, awareness, practice level, and quality of life in colorectal cancer patients. methods : a cross-sectional study was conducted from december 2011 to june 2012 that involved 105 patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer at four chosen tertiary gove...

This study investigated the relationships between tics, obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS), and impulsivity, and their effects on global functioning in Japanese patients with Tourette syndrome (TS), using the dimensional approach for OCS. Fifty-three TS patients were assessed using the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale, the Dimensional Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, the Impulsivity Rating...

BACKGROUND Many patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder have impaired insight and low medication adherence. The aim of this post hoc analysis was to explore the relationship between insight and medication adherence. METHODS We included 903 patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder who participated in an observational study conducted in Europe on the outcomes of patients treated...

BACKGROUND The relationship between social functioning and QOL in psychiatric patients has not been explicitly investigated before. AIMS To investigate the relationship between social functioning and QOL in a population of psychiatric outpatients (N = 410) with a broad spectrum of psychiatric disorders. METHOD Social functioning was assessed with the Groningen Social Behavior Questionnaire-...

Sex is a powerful modulator of disease susceptibility, course and outcome. The gene CACNA1C is among the best replicated vulnerability genes of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether sex and a variant in CACNA1C (rs10774035 as a proxy for the well-acknowledged risk variant rs1006737) influence psychosocial adaptation in a large German patient...

The relationship between the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) with other scales in schizophrenia has rarely been investigated. A systematic literature search was conducted to identify articles that reported the GAF score together with scores in the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Clinical Global Impression (CGI) or Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), using MEDLINE, EMBASE...

BACKGROUND Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) is well known internationally and widely used for scoring the severity of illness in psychiatry. Problems with GAF show a need for its further development (for example validity and reliability problems). The aim of the present study was to identify gaps in current knowledge about properties of GAF that are of interest for further development. Pr...

BACKGROUND Although the duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) plays an important role in the short-term prognosis of patients with schizophrenia, their long-term prognosis generally is not determined by DUP alone. It is important to explore how other clinical factors in the early stage are related to DUP and consequent disease courses. METHODS A total of 664 patients with untreated psychosis ...