Evaluation of women's mental health: Delineation of the field, and needs and steps toward a consensus

Mental health studies that investigate the behavior, mood, perception, cogn ition, and biology associated with specific conditions of women or with sit uations characterized by substantial gender differences are proliferating i n number and progressing in quality, depth, and scope. To solidify the fiel d, there is a need for a consensus on definitions and diagnostic criteria, standardized clinical assessment procedures, and large-scale interdisciplin ary collaborative efforts to effectively study and illuminate the diversifi ed aspects of women's mental health. Under a professional services contract with the National Institute of Menta l Health, researchers who investigate women's mental health met during the American Psychiatric Association (APA) meeting in San Diego, California, on May 19, 1997, The 18 participants discussed key clinical and biological as sessments and subsequently submitted papers reflecting scientific conclusio ns and recommendations for standardizing these assessments, It was agreed t hat a unified assessment instrument would be beneficial, but due to the wid espread requirements and numerous factors that are critical in assessing al l areas of women's health, situation-specific forms are often needed, The b ackground, rationale, and process of the meeting are described here, wherea s the details and recommendations are described in individual position pape rs.