Cluster analysis is the most logically suited method for establishing psychiatric classifications. Different mathematical methods of clustering do, however, produce disparate results when applied to the same set of data. This study attempted to quantify the extent of such disparities, and found them to be marked. It was concluded that until cluster analysis has undergone further mathematical and statistical development, it should be used with caution.
References
1.
BlumenthalM. D. (1976). Measuring depression symptomatology in a general population. Archives of General Psychiatry32: 971.
2.
ByrneD.G. (1976), An evaluation of evidence on depressive classification and some alternative suggestions from physiology. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry10: 67.
3.
ByrneD. G.BoyleDesleyPritchardD. W. (1977). Sex differences in response to a self-rating depression scale. British Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology16: 269.
4.
EverittB. S. (1972). Cluster analysis: A brief discussion of some of the problems. British Journal of Psychiatry120: 143.
5.
EverittB. S.GourlayA. J.KendellR. E. (1971). An attempt at validation of traditional psychiatric syndromes by cluster analysis. British Journal of Psychiatry119: 399.
6.
FleissJ. L.ZubinJ. (1969), On the methods and theory of clustering, Multivariate Behavioural Research, 4: 235.
MaxwellA. E. (1971). Multivariate statistical methods and classification problems. British Journal of Psychiatry119: 121.
9.
MendelsJ.CochraneC. (1968). The nosology of depression: The endogenous-reactive concept. American Journal of Psychiatry124: 1.
10.
PaykelE. S. (1971), Classification of depressed patients: A cluster analysis derived grouping. British Journal of Psychiatry115: 937.
11.
SiegelS. (1956), Non Parametric StatisticsNew York: McGraw-Hill.
12.
StraussJ.S.BartkoJ.J.CarpenterW.T. (1973). The use of clustering techniques for the classification of psychiatric patients. British Journal of Psychiatry122: 531.
13.
WilliamsG. W.BartonG. M.WhiteA. A.WonH. (1976). Cluster analysis applied to symptom ratings of psychiatric patients: An evaluation of its predictive ability. British Journal of Psychiatry129: 178.
14.
WishartD. (1970), Clustan IA User ManualUniversity of St Andrews, Computing Laboratory.
15.
ZungW. W. K. (1965). A self-rating depression scale. Archives of General Psychiatry12, 63.
16.
ZungW. W. K. (1967). Factors influencing the self-rating depression scale. Archives of General Psychiatry16: 543.
17.
ZungW. W. K.RichardsC. B.ShortM. J. (1965). Self-rating depression scales in an outpatient clinic. Archives of General Psychiatry13: 508.