THE EVALUATION OF A PSYCHIATRIC EXAMINATION
OSKAR DIETHELM M. D.1
1 The New York Hospital and the Department of Psychiatry, Cornell University Medical College, New York City.
A psychiatric examination consists of a group of experiments. The specific findings elicited must be evaluated in relation to all the other psychological, psychopathological, and physical findings, with attention to the life history and to environmental influences. The examination is adaptable by the skillful physician but only if it is given in completeness.
Experimental psychopathological studies have contributed considerably to a better use of psychiatric examinations. These studies have been especially important in the determination and understanding of emotions. Tests which we used in the current examination procedures have proved to be statistically reliable tools for examination of attention, concentration, memory, and thinking. The refined evaluation of the findings of a psychiatric examination make the current procedure valuable in the study of all psychiatric conditions, including psychosomatic reactions.
