A revised decision tree for the DSM-III differential diagnosis of psychotic patients.

Clinician-researchers involved in developing DSM-III found that the decision tree for the differential diagnosis of psychotic features that appears in the manual does not accurately or clearly represent the logic of the classification. They present a revised decision tree that is more accurate, simpler, and clearer and that they believe will greatly facilitate the tree's use in teaching and clinical practice. A revised criterion for major depressive episode and manic episode (criterion C), which was published in the third and subsequent printings of DSM-III, is also discussed.