PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH INTERVIEW FOR SUBSTANCE AND MENTAL-DISORDERS (PRISM) - RELIABILITY FOR SUBSTANCE-ABUSERS

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliabilit y of a new semistructured diagnostic interview, the Psychiatric Resear ch Interview for Substance and Mental Disorders (PRISM), for substance -abusing patients. The reliability of psychiatric diagnoses for indivi duals who drink heavily or use drugs has been shown to be problematic. The PRISM was designed to improve the reliability for such individual s. Method: A test-retest reliability study of the PRISM was conducted with 172 patients being treated in dual-diagnosis or substance abuse s ettings. Results: Good to excellent reliability was shown for many dia gnoses, including affective disorders, substance use disorders, eating disorders, some anxiety disorders, and psychotic symptoms. The interv iew has recently been updated for DSM-IV diagnoses. Conclusions: The P RISM offers a method of producing psychiatric diagnoses with improved reliability for patients and other research subjects who have problems with alcohol or drugs.