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Methodological Problems in Clinical Diagnosis

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Comprehensive Handbook of Psychopathology

Abstract

Clinical diagnosis in all the health-related disciplines is indeed a matter of importance. It is also obvious that as new knowledge is secured and new theories are developed, diagnoses and diagnostic approaches are modified, with new diagnoses added and old ones discarded. In some instances, the symptomatic pattern of the disorder remains, but its designation or clinical diagnosis changes as a result of newer conceptualizations and points of view. Clinical diagnoses, therefore, are not invariant, and problems in this area have been topics of discussion and controversy over the years. Disagreements have stemmed from differences in disciplinary orientation, theoretical considerations, and interpretations of research data concerning the reliability and validity of clinical diagnosis.

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  1. Department of Psychology, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, 63130, USA

    Sol L. Garfield

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  1. Sol L. Garfield
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

    Patricia B. Sutker

  2. University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA

    Henry E. Adams

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Garfield, S.L. (1993). Methodological Problems in Clinical Diagnosis. In: Sutker, P.B., Adams, H.E. (eds) Comprehensive Handbook of Psychopathology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-3008-4_2

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