Reliability of diagnosis is central to genetic research on mental
illness. In the Amish Study of affective disorders, consensus diagnoses
were derived by a psychiatric board using the Research Diagnostic Criteria
(RDC). To verify the reliability of diagnoses, the authors 1) studied how
well board members followed RDC procedures, 2) compared diagnoses based on
abstracted medical records with those based on full medical records, 3)
compared diagnoses based on the two data sources-- abstracted medical
records and the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Lifetime
Version--and 4) studied diagnostic stability to determine validity of
diagnosis. The results of these substudies demonstrate a high concordance
of diagnosis.
Abstract Teaser