The overall aim during Phase II is to complete development and test the accuracy, reliability, validity, and acceptability of the Dolphin DISC CD- ROM in a sample of 120 clinic referred adolescents. This is a Windows-95 based computer program designed to administer The NIMH-DISC, a highly structured modular diagnostic assessment instrument. The computer program will be able to make DSM-IV diagnoses automatically.using field-tested diagnostic algorithms. The Dolphin DISC CD-ROM will generate a printed report of a child's psychiatric symptoms and diagnoses at the end of a 90- minute diagnostic interview that can be self-administered or given by a human interviewer. This will be a novel and unique multimedia product employing high quality recordings of natural speech with computer graphics, which may allow adolescents to reliably and accurately complete a comprehensive diagnostic interview without the need for an interviewer. The Dolphin DISC CD-ROM should enjoy a wide application in clinical and community settings and will have additional benefits for psychiatric research. The Phase II project will computerize The remaining DISC diagnostic modules added to The DISC CD-ROM, also including questions for The Parent and YouTh interviews as well as a specific interface for use by interviewers.
This multimedia product has the potential to be purchased by a large proportion of all services that need to assess children and adolescents with emotional or behavioral problems accurately and at a low cost. The program costs less then 50% of the price of competing products with vastly more functionality.
