Am J Psychiatry 1978; 135:64-68
Copyright © 1978 by American Psychiatric Association
Man or machine in psychiatric diagnosis
GS Duckworth and HB Kedward
The authors describe the previous studies of the stability of psychiatric
diagnoses over time that have found such diagnoses to be unreliable,
stating that the assumptions underlying these studies have been tested and
disproved. On the other hand, the use of standardized interview techniques
and categorization by computer yield reliable symptom ratings and precise
diagnoses. The authors discuss the importance of these findings to the
selection of the most appropriate treatment modality for individual
patients.
