[Validity of the syndrome scales in the AMDP-system]

Abstract

To examine the validity of the syndrome scales of the AMDP system, various diagnostic groups as defined by the ICD were described by these scales and distinguished from each other by discriminant analyses. As a comparison the same diagnostic groups were distinguished using the syndrome scales of the AMP system. The analyses using the AMDP system were performed in a sample of 659 patients of the Psychiatric Clinic of the Free University of Berlin during 1979-1980, the analyses with the AMP system in a sample of 2269 patients of the same clinic during the period 1971-1976. It could be shown that different endogenous and organic psychoses as well as neuroses can be described in their psychopathology and discriminated from each other by means of the syndrome scales of the AMDP system. The validity of the syndrome scales in relation to this criterion could be proved. Moreover, we found a high similarity between the results with the AMDP system and the results with the AMP system, which demonstrates that the two systems compare well.