ELICITING PSYCHOTIC SYMPTOMS USING A SEMISTRUCTURED DIAGNOSTIC INTERVIEW - THE IMPORTANCE OF COLLATERAL SOURCES OF INFORMATION IN A 1ST-ADMISSION SAMPLE

This study addressed the importance of medical record information in d etermining the presence of psychotic symptoms in first-admission patie nts. A sample of 232 first-admission inpatients screened for psychotic symptoms by facility personnel was administered the Structured Clinic al Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID) followed by a medical record review and interview with a significant other. Medical records were unavailab le for sixteen patients. These patients were more often female, marrie d, and more suspicious than patients whose records were reviewed. Of t hose having interviews and record reviews, 49 showed no clear evidence of psychosis. The remainder were divided into three groups: 97 subjec ts who revealed all of their psychotic symptoms during the interview ( SCID-ALL); 61 who revealed only some of their delusions or hallucinati ons during the interview (SCID-PART); and 25 who revealed none of this information during the interview but whose records clearly described psychosis (SCID-NONE). The three groups were reasonably similar demogr aphically and with respect to clinical history. Clinically, at the tim e of interview, SCID-NONE subjects were less often still psychotic, we re rated on the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale as less depressed, more withdrawn, less cooperative and less severely ill, and had poorer ins ight ratings on the Hamilton Depression Scale.