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A Re-analysis of the Reliability of Psychiatric Diagnosis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Robert L. Spitzer  and
Joseph L. Fleiss
Robert L. Spitzer
Affiliation:
Biometrics Research, New York State Department of Mental Hygiene at the Psychiatric Institute, 722 West 168 Street, New York, New York 10032; and Columbia University, New. York
Joseph L. Fleiss
Affiliation:
Biometrics Research, New York State Department of Mental Hygiene at the Psychiatric Institute; and Columbia University, New York
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Extract

Classification systems such as diagnosis have two primary properties, reliability and validity. Reliability refers to the consistency with which subjects are classified; validity, to the utility of the system for its various purposes. In the case of psychiatric diagnosis, the purposes of the classification system are communication about clinical features, aetiology, course of illness and treatment. A necessary constraint on the validity of a system is its reliability. There is no guarantee that a reliable system is valid, but assuredly an unreliable system must be invalid.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 125 , Issue 587 , October 1974 , pp. 341 - 347
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1974 

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