Assessing axis II disorders by informant interview

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Psychopathology

Background:

• Personality disorder research often relies on direct patient assessment.
• The comparison between patient-derived and informant-derived diagnostic data is underexplored.
• Understanding informant data's role is crucial for accurate personality disorder diagnosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess diagnostic agreement between patient and informant interviews for personality disorders.
• To evaluate the contribution of each data source to consensus diagnoses.
• To explore the utility of informant data in refining personality disorder assessments.

Main Methods:

• Sixty-two psychiatric patients underwent direct assessment using the Structured Interview for DSM-III Personality Disorders (SIDP).
• Patients nominated an informant (family/friend) interviewed using the same SIDP instrument.
• Consensus diagnoses were established by a senior clinician reviewing all available data, with informant interviews blinded when possible.

Main Results:

• Diagnostic agreement between patient and informant reports for personality disorders was poor.
• Patient-derived information generally received more weight in consensus diagnoses.
• Informant data contributed to resolving approximately 25% of diagnostic disagreements.
• Inclusion of informant data did not reveal increased psychopathology compared to previous findings.

Conclusions:

• Supplementing direct patient interviews with informant data can improve the resolution of certain personality disorder diagnoses.
• The practical value of informant interviews depends on balancing the benefits of diagnostic refinement against associated costs.
• Further research may clarify the optimal use of informant data in clinical settings.