№ 1Examination & Foundations12 min read
The Psychiatric Interview
1. Overview & Purpose of the Interview
Definition
- The psychiatric interview is a structured, goal-oriented conversation that is both the principal diagnostic instrument and the first therapeutic act. There is no blood test or scan that replaces it — "after speaking to and examining the patient in detail we form a diagnosis" (Gajdos).
- "Blick" (at-a-glance) diagnosis is dangerous in psychiatry. What we see is context-dependent: "What we see is not always there and vice versa." Detail matters precisely because the symptoms are subjective and norm-relative.
What is a psychiatric symptom? (PSY - 2.3)
A psychiatric symptom is not only what the patient complains
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