ABSTRACT
The data from several comprehensive epidemiologic studies emphatically underscore the fact that psychiatric disorders are highly prevalent in contemporary society. The most prevalent of the psychiatric conditions are represented by anxiety and depressive disorders, which are often obscured in their presentation and are difficult to detect. A realistic appreciation of the psychometric basis for psychiatric screening rests on the realization that they have their basis in psychological measurement. All scientific measurement is based on consistency or replicability; reliability concerns the degree of replicability inherent in measurement. Reliability can be conceptualized as the ratio of true score variation to the total measurement variance. Like reliability and validity, generalizability is a fundamental psychometric characteristic of test instruments used for psychiatric screening. Screening for a specific type of psychiatric/psychological disorder or problem in the primary care setting presents its own set of unique issues and concerns.
