The Validity of Psychiatric Diagnosis Revisited: The Clinician's Guide to Improve the Validity of Psychiatric Diagnosis

Abstract

Background: The authors reviewed the types and phases of validity of psychiatric diagnosis. In 1970, Robins and Guze proposed five phases to achieve valid classification of mental disorders: clinical description, laboratory study, exclusion of other disorders, follow-up study, and family study.

Objectives: The objectives of this paper are to review what has been learned since Robins and Guze's influential article as well as examine the impact of the new discoveries in neurosciences and neuroimaging on the practicing clinician.

Method: The authors reviewed the literature on the concept of validity in psychiatry with emphasis on the role of clinical training, the use of structured interviews and rating scales, and the importance of the new discoveries in neurosciences.

Results: Robins and Guze's phases have been the cornerstone of construct validity in psychiatry at the level of researchers. In the absence of the gold standard of psychiatric diagnosis, Spitzer proposed the "LEAD," which is an acronym for longitudinal evaluation, and is done by expert clinicians utilizing all the data available. The LEAD standard is construct validity at the level of experts; however, guidelines are lacking to improve the validity skills of the practicing clinicians.

Conclusions: The authors propose the acronym DR.SEE, which stands for data, reference definitions, rating scales, clinical experience, and external validators. The authors recommend that clinicians use the DR.SEE paradigm to improve the validity of psychiatric diagnoses.