Drill-Locate-Drill Algorithm for Diagnostic Reasoning in Psychiatry

Abstract

Abstract-This paper introduces a top-down algorithm for diagnosing psychiatric illnesses. It is based on the conceptualisation of diagnostic categories, diagnosis, and symptoms as a hierarchical model. The algorithm assumes that there exist a few close-ended clinical questions that can be used during clinical interview to rule in and rule out diagnostic categories, diagnoses and their symptoms. Compared to a more exhaustive bottom-up and recursive algorithm, which the authors have previously introduced, this algorithm has the advantage of being easy to implement requiring a less extensive knowledgebase. It is expected the algorithm will be used as a useful screening tool that increases the detection of psychiatric disorders, which are common but unfortunately currently under-diagnosed.

Condiciones Epistémicas Para La Creación De Conocimiento en Ciencias Humanas

“…Existen diversos algoritmos (pasos para obtener un resultado) en ciencias humanas, siendo de especial relevancia los que se utilizan en la Psiquiatría, dada su base clínica, muchos de ellos basados en modelos diagnósticos estandarizados como los del Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM), y la Clasificación internacional de enfermedades (CIE) de la World Health Organization. Ver Ceusters & Smith, 2006;Fernando & Henskens, 2013a, 2013b…”