According to Lars Bergman there are several reasons that keep computerized systems from producing the correct DSM-classification. The most important point might be that diagnosis in psychiatry is just to complex for a fully structured system to reach a good level of validity. Dynamic systems and appropriate statistics might be necessary. According to Dreyfus the intuition of the expert is an important part of the diagnostic process. This would also mean that the (paper version of the) SCID does not yield the expected validity. Other reasons are related to methodological problems of the study at hand: Most physicians used the computer version of the SCID for the first time. They also received only limited training and thus the computerized process might have interfered with their normal skills. Also the rule-following and logical step-by-step procedures designed for non-experts might have influenced validity.
Why a Computerized Decision System does not always lead to the Correct DSM-Classification
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Research on classification and case formulation
It has been postulated (for example see Persons & Miakami) that psycho diagnostic evaluation is an important phase in the treatment of psychopathology. However there is a fierce battle going on between those that argue for a stepped-care model in mental health care and those that argue that we should rather look at the specific […]
The descriptive approach of the DSM – why clinicians love it – and don’t adhere to it anyway
In medicine, diseases are classified according to the physiological problem that is presumed to have caused the disease. Classification is guided by advanced biological and chemical theories that have proven to have explanatory value. For mental illnesses that is a different story, because the working mechanism is mostly unknown and there is no unified scientific […]
How do biases affect decision making in mental health?
Bias in treatment recommendations is a problem health care in general. The focus on my research looks specifically at the biases in mental health care. In this field we find literature that suggests certain disorders are viewed as more “psychological” in nature and others are viewed as more “biological” in nature, and to some degree, […]