What are DSM-Oriented Scales?

There are many different kinds of psychological assessment scales, sometimes called "psychological tests." Some of these are designed to reflect the structure of the dominant diagnostic manual in use in American psychiatry and psychology, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Textual Revision, or DSM-IV-TR.

Significance

• DSM-style diagnosis is the norm in most hospital and clinical settings. It is certainly the norm for insurance purposes. Use of DSM-oriented scales makes it easier and more defensible to assign a DSM-type diagnosis to a given patient.

Misconceptions

• Just because a scale purports to be "DSM-Oriented" or "structured on the DSM" does not mean that it actually reflects the DSM diagnostic categories strictly. Before using a scale, a clinician should always check to see how the items of the scale relate to the DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria. You may find that the scale items ignore some DSM diagnostic criteria, and overemphasize others.

Potential Use

• Probably the best use of DSM-oriented scales is as backup for a full diagnostic interview. There are interview protocols that are specifically designed to reflect the DSM diagnostic criteria very closely, such as the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR.