Reliability of DSM-IV anxiety and mood disorders: implications for the classification of emotional disorders.
The reliability of current and lifetime Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) anxiety and mood disorders was examined in 362 outpatients who underwent 2 independent administrations of the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-IV: Lifetime version (ADIS-IV-L). Good to excellent reliability was obtained for the majority of DSM-IV categories. For many disorders, a common source of unreliability was disagreements on whether constituent symptoms were sufficient in number, severity, or duration to meet. DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. These analyses also highlighted potential boundary problems for some disorders (e.g., generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder). Analyses of ADIS-IV-L clinical ratings (0-8 scales) indicated favorable interrater agreement for the dimensional features of DSM-IV anxiety and mood disorders. The findings are discussed in regard to their implications for the classification of emotional disorders.
Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders, Boston University, 648 Beacon Street, 6th Floor, Boston, Massachusetts 02215-2013, USA. tabrown@bu.edu
T A
TA
Brown
P A
PA
Di Nardo
C L
CL
Lehman
L A
LA
Campbell
D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015588:Observer Variation; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000592:standards*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index