The diagnostic accuracy of questions about past experiences of being mechanically restrained in a population of psychiatric patients.
Information about stressful life experiences obtained from patients during diagnostic interviews is an important foundation for clinical decision making. In this study self-reports from 115 committed psychiatric patients of experiences of mechanical restraint were compared with medical records. The sensitivity of patient self-reports was 73% (11/15) and the specificity was 92% (92/100). No clear relationship between psychiatric symptoms and reliability of self-reports was identified. The results highlight the subjective qualities of narratives about past experiences.
Wallsten
Tuula
T
University of Uppsala, Vasterås, Sweden. tuula.wallsten@ltv.se
Kjellin
Lars
L
Sjoberg
Rickard L
RL
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D010054:Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing / Q000379:methods; D012094:Repression, Psychology; D012149:Restraint, Physical / Q000523:psychology*; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013404:Suggestion; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden