Case Ascertainment: The Composite International Diagnostic Interview

Abstract

Objective To outline the utility of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) in the diagnosis of psychosis. Method Report current situation. Results The CIDI was designed as a fully structured interview to be used by lay interviewers. It generates false positive diagnoses in community surveys and false negative diagnoses in psychiatric settings. A new psychosis module has been developed to reduce these problems. Conclusions The diagnosis of psychosis by fully structured diagnostic interviews is difficult.