DIS
Also written as: DIS — Diagnostic Interview Schedule
Diagnostic Interview Schedule, a structured psychiatric diagnostic instrument designed for use by lay interviewers in epidemiological studies.
Full Definition
The Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS) is a fully structured psychiatric diagnostic interview developed for large-scale epidemiological surveys. Unlike semi-structured interviews that require clinical training, the DIS uses predetermined algorithms and skip patterns that allow trained lay interviewers to make psychiatric diagnoses according to standardized criteria. The instrument has been widely used in population surveys such as the Epidemiologic Catchment Area study and provides diagnoses compatible with DSM criteria.
Usage
Usage note: Distinguish from clinician-administered instruments like SCID.
In Context
- "The ECA study employed the DIS to generate psychiatric diagnoses in community samples." — survey methodology description
- "Training lay interviewers to administer the DIS required two weeks of intensive instruction." — methods section