title: The Longitudinal Interval Follow-up Evaluation. A comprehensive method for assessing outcome in prospective longitudinal studies.
abstract: The Longitudinal Interval Follow-up Evaluation (LIFE) is an integrated system for assessing the longitudinal course of psychiatric disorders. It consists of a semistructured interview, an Instruction booklet, a coding sheet, and a set of training materials. An interviewer uses the LIFE to collect detailed psychosocial, psychopathologic, and treatment information for a six-month follow-up interval. The weekly psychopathology measures ("psychiatric status ratings") are ordinal symptom-based scales with categories defined to match the levels of symptoms used in the Research Diagnostic Criteria. The ratings provide a separate, concurrent record of the course of each disorder initially diagnosed in patients or developing during the follow-up. Any DSM-III or Research Diagnostic Criteria disorder can be rated with the LIFE, and any length or number of follow-up intervals can be accommodated. The psychosocial and treatment information is recorded so that these data can be linked temporally to the psychiatric status ratings.
mesh_terms: D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011613:Psychotherapy; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012917:Social Adjustment
chemical_list: D011619:Psychotropic Drugs