Cross Examining Psych Doctors - Tip #36-Describing the Patient's Complaints

In a psychological examination report, it is simply not enough to provide a listing of the patient’s complaints or their direct statements.  Specifically, the doctor has to describe the qualitative nature of those complaints as well as their frequency, intensity, duration, onset and course of those complaints.  Think of this as a series of questions that have to be answered:  What does it feel like when you are depressed? (qualitative nature).  How often do you feel/think that way? (frequency).  How severe is this problem for you on a 10-point scale? (intensity).  When you feel depressed, how long does the feeling last? (duration).  When did you start feeling depressed? (onset).  Has your depression been getting better or worse and can you describe its presence over time? (course). One example, in cases where the doctor diagnoses some form of a Major Depressive Disorder, the provision of this information, especially the data about frequency, is quite crucial since eight of the nine complaints must be found to be present at least “nearly every day.”

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