Diagnostic Interviewing and Psychopathology Assessment

Vocabulary terms and definitions related to clinical diagnostic interviewing, psychological communication techniques, and the psychiatric assessment process.

Diagnostic Interview

The process through which the clinician learns about the patient's difficulties and establishes the bases of the therapeutic relationship, serving evaluative and diagnostic functions.

Rapport

The foundation of the relationship with the patient, fostering empathy and understanding so the person feels comfortable, which facilitates information exploration and therapeutic involvement.

Clinical Record (Historia Clínica)

A document or file that collects information related to the evaluation and follow-up of a patient, including problem history, personal history, mental status examination, diagnosis, case formulation, and progress notes.

Active Listening

A mental and physical effort by the interviewer to perceive verbal and non-verbal messages and transmit that they are listening, attending, and understanding.

Non-directive Verbal Techniques

Techniques performed from the interviewee's frame of reference that encourage expression and demonstrate they are being heard, such as paraphrasing, reflection, and summary.

Paraphrase

The repetition of the cognitive content transmitted by the client using the interviewer's own words without altering the meaning.

Reflection

A technique where the interviewer focuses on and emphasizes the emotional part of the patient's message without interpreting or speculating.

Summary

A synthesis of the most relevant aspects treated during the interview, attending to both the cognitive and emotional parts of the message.

Clarification

A technique used when the clinician is confused and checks explicitly to ensure they have correctly understood the patient's message.

Self-disclosure (Autorrevelación)

A technique where the clinician expresses personal information, demographic data, or their own experiences to level the relationship or suggest behaviors.

Immediacy

Making explicit what is happening in the moment regarding the clinician, the situation, or the relationship between the clinician and the patient.

Directive Verbal Techniques

Intervention techniques that part from the interviewer's frame of reference and exert a direct influence on the client, such as inquiry, interpretation, and confrontation.

Inquiry or Probing (Indagación o sondeo)

The use of questions to obtain information about the person, their problem, symptoms, and context.

Funnel Technique (Técnica del embudo)

A strategy of moving from open questions to increasingly closed questions to narrow down the patient's symptoms and specific details.

Interpretation

Providing alternative explanations for the patient's problems from the clinician's theoretical frame of reference to promote self-knowledge.

Framing (Encuadre)

Offering alternative meanings to situations that the patient interprets negatively, opening a possible path towards change.

Confrontation

Making explicit a contradiction observed in the patient's discourse or behavior to promote constructive change.

Initial Phase

The first 8 to 10 minutes of the interview focused on establishing rapport, reducing uncertainty, and leveling expectations.

Intermediate Phase

The bulk of the interview, lasting approximately 45 minutes, aimed at identifying the problem and elaborating diagnostic hypotheses.

Final Phase

The last 10 to 12 minutes of the interview dedicated to summarizing findings, planning future tasks, and closing with a positive tone.

Motive of Consultation / Complaint (Queja)

The description of the reasons leading to the search for help according to the patient's own words and perspective.

Interference of the Problem

The consequences and impact the problem has on the person's daily life, including social, family, work, and economic levels.

Evolution of the Problem

A chronological description including the onset (insidious or sudden), attributed causes, and the course of the problem including remissions or relapses.

Mental Status Examination (MSE / Psicopatograma)

A transversal analysis and description of the person's psychological processes and mental activities at the specific moment of the evaluation.

Insight (Conciencia de enfermedad)

The degree to which the evaluated person recognizes the existence, nature, and extent of their own problems or state of health.

Case Formulation

A methodology to understand the person and their problem as a whole, relating information to justify the diagnosis and design a treatment plan.

DSM-5

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition, published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA).

ICD-11 (CIE-11)

The International Classification of Diseases, 11th Edition, proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO).

SCID-5

The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5, designed to guide the diagnosis of mental disorders following DSM-5 criteria.

Mini-Mental (MMSE)

A standardized test of 30 questions that assesses orientation, memory, language, and general cognitive functioning in approximately 5 minutes.