The authors compared criterion-based diagnoses (DSM-III) with clinical
diagnoses (DSM-II) for 102 psychiatric inpatients. The introduction of
specified diagnostic criteria represented a refinement of existing
diagnostic practices rather than a qualitatively different approach to
diagnoses; however, in the schizophrenia and affective disorder categories,
nonwhites and women were more often assigned to worse prognostic category
by the DSM-II system than were white men with similar symptoms. The authors
suggest that the introduction of DSM-III criteria may ensure more
appropriate diagnosis and treatment for nonwhites and women.
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