Reliability of the DSM

Question 1

Goldstein (1988)

Answer 1

. Re-diagnosed 199 patients with schizophrenia using DSM III, originally diagnosed with DSM II.
. Some differences but 85% consistent = test retest reliability.
. Asked 2 other experts to re-diagnose a random sample of 8 of the patients, using the case histories. All indication of previous diagnosis removed.
. Found a high level of agreement in diagnosis - inter rater reliability.

Question 2

Brown (2001)

Answer 2

Concluded good reliability but also highlighted some issues with the DSM, including difficulty to diagnose disorders at the boundaries and some disagreement between severity and amount of symptoms in the patients with anxiety and mood disorders.

Question 3

Rosenhan

Answer 3

Found the diagnosis of the patient was the same across most of the 12 hospitals presumably using the current DSM at the time, showing diagnosis is reliable.