Comparison of screening proposals for somatization disorder empirical analyses.
We report a comparison of three sets of screening criteria, plus a post hoc modification of one, for the diagnosis of somatization disorder. Included in the comparison are the DSM-III-R seven-symptom screen, 11 symptoms identified by Swartz et al., and the hierarchical screen using symptom clusters that has been proposed for DSM-IV, along with a modification to the latter. Data sets used in this test were from the St Louis Epidemiologic Catchment Area (ECA) study and a family study of alcoholism. Findings of sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value indicate advantages and disadvantages of each screening set. No one set was clearly superior; selection of screening criteria should be dependent on the intended application.
Bucholz
K K
KK
Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63110.
Dinwiddie
S H
SH
Reich
T
T
Shayka
J J
JJ
Cloninger
C R
CR
D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics; D012307:Risk Factors; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology