Mh. Azevedo et al., Using consensus OPCRIT diagnoses - An efficient procedure for best-estimate lifetime diagnoses, BR J PSYCHI, 175, 1999, pp. 154-157
Background The Operational Criteria Checklist (OPCRIT) generates diagnoses
according to 12 operational diagnostic systems (e.g. DSM-III, DSM-III-R, Re
search Diagnostic Criteria, ICD-10).
Aims To examine the agreement between diagnoses generated by the OPCRIT, as
completed by the interviewer, with a best-estimate lifetime procedure usin
g the OPCRIT.
Method Subjects came from large multi-generational bipolar or schizophrenia
pedigrees (n=100), and from a sample of unrelated subjects with schizophre
nia (n=40). We analysed the diagnostic agreement between OPCRIT diagnoses g
enerated by the interviewer and our best-estimate OPCRIT diagnoses. accordi
ng to DSM-III-R and ICD-10, using Cohen kappa statistics.
Results Excellent agreement was found between interviewer OPCRIT diagnoses
and OPCRIT diagnoses made by the best-estimate lifetime consensus procedure
for DSM-III-R (kappa=0.83) and ICD-10 (kappa=0.81).
Conclusions Results suggest that this procedure for diagnostic assessment i
s an efficient alternative to classic best-estimate diagnosis procedures.
Declaration of interest Supported by grants from Junta Nacional de Investig
acao Cientifica eTechnologia and the US National Institute of Mental Health
.