title: Routine use of operational diagnostic criteria affects the pharmacotherapy of dysthymia: national questionnaire survey of experienced psychiatrists in Japan.
abstract: The purpose of the present paper was to evaluate, with the use of a questionnaire, how Japanese psychiatrists diagnose and treat a typical adult dysthymia case. Clinicians who routinely use operational diagnostic criteria (ODC) had more correct diagnoses than those who did not. Approximately 70% of psychiatrists who routinely use ODC chose selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRI) as the first choice of treatment, while of those psychiatrists who do not use these criteria, only half prescribed SSRI. This difference was statistically significant (P = 0.01). The results of the present study suggest that psychiatrists who are familiar with ODC tend to treat dysthymia according to evidence-based pharmacotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan.
authors.forename: Taro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Endo
authors.forename: Toshiki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shioiri
authors.forename: Hideaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kitamura
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Someya
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019263:Dysthymic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008875:Middle Aged; D010820:Physicians; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011570:Psychiatry; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires