This is a diagnostic interviewdesigned for use by mental health professionals. It assesses thirty-three of the more commonly occurring psychiatric disorders described in the fourth edition of the DIAGNOSTIC AND STATISTICAL MANUAL (DSM-IV) of the American Psychiatric Association (1994). Among these are MOOD DISORDERS (including MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER), PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS (including SCHIZOPHRENIA), ANXIETY DISORDERS (including PANIC DISORDER) and the substance-use disorders. The SCID is a semi-structured interviewthat allows the experienced clinician to tailor questions to fit the patient's understanding; to ask additional questions that clarify ambiguities; to challenge inconsistencies; and to make clinical judgments about the seriousness of symptoms. The main uses of the SCID are for diagnostic evaluation, research, and the training of mental-health professionals.

The SCID is modeled on the standard clinical interviewpracticed by many mental-health professionals. It begins with an overview section that includes questions about...