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Diagnoses of dementia and depression: a latent trait analysis of their performance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

D. A. Grayson ,
A. S. Henderson  and
D. W. K. Kay
D. A. Grayson*
Affiliation:
NH & MRC Social Psychiatry Research Unit, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
A. S. Henderson
Affiliation:
NH & MRC Social Psychiatry Research Unit, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
D. W. K. Kay
Affiliation:
NH & MRC Social Psychiatry Research Unit, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
*
*Address for correspondence: Dr D. A. Grayson, NH & MRC Social Psychiatry Research Unit, Australian National University, GPO Box 4, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia
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Synopsis

Four diagnostic systems for dementia and depression are compared on a community sample of 274 subjects. They are: DSM-III, Gurland's system, AGECAT and a clinician's ratings. These are compared, not in the usual terms of prevalence rates and cross-tabulations of diagnostic categories, but by examining the performance of each system in terms of hypothetical, continuously distributed traits underlying the symptoms of dementia and depression, as in the latent trait model described by Duncan-Jones et al. (1986). Each diagnosis is characterized by the level of severity (threshold) at which it operates, and its accuracy. Evidence is given to support a dimensional view of dementia.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 17 , Issue 3 , August 1987 , pp. 667 - 675
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1987

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