CLINICIAN-ADMINISTERED DIAGNOSTIC INTERVIEWS: A SET OF PROCEDURES

CURRENTLY AVAILABLE CLINICIAN-ADMINISTERED DIAGNOSTIC INTERVIEWS TO EVALUATE ALCOHOL, DRUG AND PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS EITHER ASCERTAIN THESE DISORDERS BY OLDER DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA, OR ASSESS UP-TO-DATE CRITERIA BUT HAVE DOCUMENTED RELIABILITY PROBLEMS. SUCH PROBLEMS REDUCE THE UTILITY, EFFICIENCY, AND VALIDITY OF DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH (CLINICAL AND EPIDEMIOLOGICAL), AS WELL AS RESEARCH ON ETIIOLOGY AND TREATMENT OUTCOME. WE RECENTLY DEVELOPED A CLINICIAN-ADMINSTERED DIAGNOSTIC INTERVIEW INTENDED TO ADDRESS THESE PROBLEMS. WE WILL PERFORM ADDITIONAL LINKED INSTRUMENT DEVELOPMENT: THE DEVELOPMENT OF ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES TO ASSESS (A) LONGITUDINAL COURSE (F OLLOW-UP INFORMATION) OF THE DISORDERS COVERED IN OUR DIAGNOSTIC INTERVIEW AND (B) FAMILY HISTORY OF THE SAME DISORDERS. THESE TWO NEW INSTRUMENTS, ADAPTED FROM EXISTING PROCEDURES DURING PHASE I, WOULD BE DESIGNED TO BE COMPATIBLE WITH OUR DIAGNOSITC INTERVIEW IN STRUCTURE AND CONTENT. ONCE DEVELOPED AND DETERMINED TO BE RELIABLE, THE TWO PROCEDURES WOULD BE USED IN A VALIDITY STUDY OF OUR DIAGNOSTIC INTERVIEW. RELIABILITY TESTS OF THE NEW INTERVIEWS AND THEIR USE IN THE VALIDY STUDY OF THE INITIAL INTERVIEW WOULD COMPRISE PHASE II. IF SUCCESSFUL, THE RESULTING SET OF DIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES AND THEIR TRAINING PACKAGES SHOULD BE OF INTEREST TO A WIDE RANGE OF RESEARCHERS AND CLINICIANS WHO NEED TO CHARACTERIZE SUBJECTS OR PATIENTS DIAGNOSTICALLY.