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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Event Related Potentials (ERPs) and other EEG Based Methods for Extracting Biomarkers of Brain Dysfunction: Examples from Pediatric Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Event Related Potentials (ERPs) and other EEG Based Methods for Extracting Biomarkers of Brain Dysfunction: Examples from Pediatric Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Published on: March 12, 2020

How "objective" are psychiatric diagnoses?: (guess again).

¹Dr. Pies is Professor of Psychiatry, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York; and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Tufts USM, Boston, Massachusetts.

Psychiatry (Edgmont (Pa. : Township))

|April 30, 2010

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Psychiatric diagnosis objectivity is comparable to other medical fields based on interrater reliability. While subjective elements exist in all medicine, psychiatric diagnostic reliability is on par with general medical practices.

Keywords:

diagnosis interrater reliability kappa objectivity

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Event Related Potentials (ERPs) and other EEG Based Methods for Extracting Biomarkers of Brain Dysfunction: Examples from Pediatric Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Event Related Potentials (ERPs) and other EEG Based Methods for Extracting Biomarkers of Brain Dysfunction: Examples from Pediatric Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Published on: March 12, 2020

Area of Science:

Psychiatry
Medical Diagnosis
Psychological Medicine

Background:

Concerns regarding the objectivity of psychiatric diagnosis are frequently raised.
Comparisons are often made with diagnostic practices in other medical specialties.

Purpose of the Study:

To evaluate the objectivity of psychiatric diagnosis.
To compare psychiatric interrater reliability with other medical fields.

Main Methods:

Analysis of interrater reliability data for major psychiatric disorders.
Examination of kappa values as a measure of diagnostic agreement.

Main Results:

Kappa values for several major psychiatric disorders are comparable to those in other medical specialties.
Psychiatric diagnostic objectivity, measured by interrater reliability, is on par with other medical fields.

Conclusions:

Psychiatric diagnosis demonstrates a level of objectivity comparable to other medical specialties.
Subjectivity is an inherent component of both medical and psychiatric practice, often referred to as the 'art' of medicine.