Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I), Clinician Version, User's Guide

This efficient, user-friendly instrument will help clinicians make standardized, reliable, and accurate diagnoses and avoid the common problem of "premature closure" -- the premature focus on one diagnostic possibility.

It will also help clinicians of all levels of experience improve their clinical assessment and interviewing techniques and provides extensive documentation of the diagnostic process, an essential procedure in today's managed care world.

Specifically adapted from the research standard for Axis I structured clinical interviewing for use in clinical settings, the SCID-I covers those DSM-IV diagnoses most commonly seen by clinicians and includes the diagnostic criteria for these disorders with corresponding interview questions.

The SCID-I is divided into six self-contained modules that can be administered in sequence: mood episodes; psychotic symptoms; psychotic disorders; mood disorders; substance use disorders; and anxiety, adjustment, and other disorders. The User's Guide provides instructions on how to use the SCID-I effectively. It contains sections describing the rationale and structure of the SCID-I and detailed discussions on how to assess the specific DSM-IV criteria.

A number of sample cases are also included to help clinicians learn how to use SCID-I.