Man or machine in psychiatric diagnosis.

The authors describe the previous studies of the stability of psychiatric diagnoses over time that have found such diagnoses to be unreliable, stating that the assumptions underlying these studies have been tested and disproved. On the other hand, the use of standardized interview techniques and categorization by computer yield reliable symptom ratings and precise diagnoses. The authors discuss the importance of these findings to the selection of the most appropriate treatment modality for individual patients.