BSABS

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The recording of basic symptoms (BS) has not yet become essential in clinical psychiatric diagnostics, particularly during case history inquiries and mental state assessments. Current diagnostic systems, such as ICD-10 and DSM-IV, do not include BS in their criteria for schizophrenia and related disorders. However, some BS have recently been incorporated into tools like the IRAOS for assessing the onset of schizophrenia. The Bonn Scale for the Assessment of BS (BSABS), first published in 1987 and later translated into several languages, provides a standardized method for documenting psychopathological data in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and related disorders according to ICD-10 and DSM-IV. The BSABS is particularly useful for identifying prepsychotic precursor stages or postpsychotic basic stages of schizophrenia. Additionally, it can be applied to affective disorders, including unipolar and bipolar conditions as classified in ICD-10 and DSM-IV. Notably, BS can also manifest in affective psychoses, such as major depressive disorder and depressive episodes, highlighting their relevance across various psychiatric diagnoses. Further insights on the classification of these disorders are available in our critical reviews.