TITLE:
Mechanism of Discerning Similarities in Psychiatric Diagnoses
AUTHORS:
Haim Eshach
KEYWORDS:
Similarity; Psychiatric Diagnoses; Medical Education
JOURNAL NAME:
Creative Education,
Vol.4 No.6A,
June
11,
2013
ABSTRACT: Psychiatrists use
similarities to make diagnoses in situations where rules are insufficient. The
purpose of this study was to examine the criteria psychiatrists use to
determine similarity between cases of personality disorder. Psychiatrists were
provided with cases and were interviewed according to Kelly’s method. Cognitive
science theories were used to explain the criteria identified. Results
indicated that similarity decisions include idiosyncratic criteria. These
results add to the current understanding of medical problem-solving processes
and have implications for medical education.