ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the diagnostic process and try to relate it to practical consideration, like predicting treatment response rate and identifying or reducing relapse. The Manual introduces to general practice a rigorous approach to diagnosis previously limited to research in descriptive psychiatry. One of the primary goals in the development of DSM III was to improve the accuracy and consistency of diagnosis; to increase interclinician reliability. The DSM III is the first multiaxial diagnostic system with a five-axis review added to the diagnostic process. The chapter offers some further diagnostic subdivisions which may yield more homogeneous subgroups and help the clinician determine indicated pharmacotherapy and attain maximal treatment response. Psychiatrists have spent a great deal of time characterizing, describing, and diagnosing patients. The neuroendocrine strategy involves measuring changes in peripheral hormone concentrations, sometimes after provocation, as markers of major psychiatric disorders. The thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) test consists of measurement of thyroid-stimulating hormone response to infusion of TRH.
