Mental Disorder Decision Trees: Diagnosis & Clinical Application

Decision trees are tools that are used in a variety of different settings to organize and break down clusters of data. Using a decision tree helps you to move from a hypothesis to a reasonable conclusion.

Significance

• Using a clinical decision tree to diagnose a mental disorder is helpful in identifying the presence or absence of psychiatric symptoms in a patient.

Function

• Decision trees offer structured methods to determine the accuracy of a mental-health diagnosis. Decision trees form the differential diagnosis that separates mental health issues from medical problems in hospitals and outpatient clinics.

Identification

• Interviewing patients about their experience of symptoms, observing the patient and using clinical judgment form the psychiatric diagnosis. Different types of decision trees are used to identify mood, anxiety, substance abuse and psychotic disorders.

Benefits

• Clarifying diagnostic impressions though the process of using a decision tree improves accuracy of the diagnosis and limits the opportunity for error. This, in turn, improves the development and implementation of an appropriate treatment plan.

Warning

• Diagnosing patients is done only by a professional with a valid history of supervised clinical training. Decision trees are complex, and proper education and use of the tools is imperative.