Reliability of childhood mental disorder: diagnoses by Japanese psychologists

The recent entry of psychologists into psychiatric practices and schools in Japan calls for diagnostic skills, because psychiatrists are less available in such settings. We examined the reliability of the diagnoses of 10 DSM-IV childhood mental disorders by 11 Japanese psychologists, using 20 case vignettes. Most categories had good reliability (kappa), except for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Japanese clinical psychologists may be able to use DSM-IV reliably as a tool for diagnosis of childhood psychiatric disorders, if sufficient training is provided.