Use of a Structured Interview to Diagnose Anxiety Disorders in a Minority Population

A structured interview—the Anxiety Disorder Interview Schedule Revised (ADIS-R)—was used to assess the presence of panic disorder and other anxiety disorders in 100 psychiatric outpatients at an inner-city municipal hospital, most of whom were black and of low socioeconomic status. The ADIS-R identified seven patients as having a primary diagnosis of panic disorder and 16 as having a secondary diagnosis of panic disorder. None of the patients received a primary diagnosis of panic disorder from the outpatient clinical staff who did not use the ADIS-R. The authors conclude that a structured interview is an effective tool for identifying panic disorder in a minority population, in whom the disorder is generally underdiagnosed.