Program Description:

This program is designed to be an interactive Expert System for the diagnosis of major psychological disorders. It has two modes of operation: one for doctors to help assess a patient’s mental health and the other for individuals to assess their own mental status. One of the reasons for the dual mode capability is simply for interactive purposes. For instance, a domain expert would speak differently with a colleague than with a patient or lay person and I want the program to reflect those levels of interaction. There will also be some different functionality based on whether the user is a patient or doctor. When the user first opens the program they will asked whether they are a doctor or patient. If they login as a doctor, they will be asked to enter their physician’s license number to access this interface. For testing purposes the program will accept any four digit number entered, but this can be customized to limit access to, say, just the doctors in a particular office.

The program will prompt the user with a variety of multiple choice type questions and will offer a limited set of answers or a range of numerical answers on a set scale. The user will then type the answer in a text box. The user will be required to spell the answer exactly as it appears in the prompt and will simply be prompted again if there is any discrepancy.

The assessment will be based on four major mental health disorders: Major Depression, Schizophrenia, Alcohol Abuse, and Bulimia Nervosa. I have chosen these disorders because they occur frequently and they lend themselves well to diagnosis through a set of specific questions with a limited range of answers.

This is the list of questions that will be used by the program to assess the mental state regarding these four disorders. The score next to the heading refer to how many of the symptoms must be present for a definite diagnosis for each disorder.

Bulimia Nervosa: 6/6

1. Have you ever gone on eating binges when you ate abnormally large amount of food over a short period of time (less than two hours)?
2. During a binge did you feel lost control of your eating?
3. Was there ever a time lasting at least 3 months when you would binge at least twice a week?
4. To prevent gaining weight from the binge, would you sometimes do one or more of the followings: 1). Force your self to vomit; 2). Go on strict diets or fast afterwards; 3). Use laxatives or water pills; 3). Give yourself an enema; 4). Exercise vigorously?
5. Did you ever do one or more of the compensatory behaviors as indicated in question No. 4 at least twice a week for 3 or more months?
6. Did your weight or the shape of your body have a big effect on your opinion of yourself?

Alcohol Abuse: 1/6

1. Because of drinking, did you often fail to fulfill major role obligations at work, school, or home such as 1)? Having trouble at work or school; 2). Missing work or school; 3). Getting fired; 4). Getting suspended or expelled from school; 5). Not taking care of children; having trouble; 6). Not cooking, cleaning the house, or go grocery shopping within a twelve month period?
2. Did you often drive while intoxicated within a twelve month period?
3. Did you ever drink and then do something that was potentially physically dangerous (e.g., operate machine) within a twelve month period?
4. Did you ever arrested for driving under the influence, or disorderly conduct within a twelve month period?
5. Because of your drinking did you frequently have social or interpersonal problems as 1). Having problems or arguments with friends or family; 2). Spend less time with family or friends; 3). Get separated or divorced; 4). Get into physical fights; 5). Get violent?
6. Did you still drink despite these problems?

Major Depression without psychotic features: 8/12 (1 or 2 must be included, 10, 11 and 12 must be included)

1. Within a two week period have you been feeling sad, blue, down, depressed or appeared tearful nearly every day for most of the day?
2. During the same two week period have you lost interest or pleasure in all or almost all the things you used to enjoy as reading, watching TV, shopping, socializing, eating, sex, etc?
3. Has your appetite changed nearly every day during the same two weeks, and consequently gained or lost more than 5% of body weight in a month when not dieting?
4. Has your sleep changed (decreased or increased) nearly every day during the same two weeks?
5. During the same two week period have you been feeling more agitated or slowed down so much that your family or friends noticed change in you?
6. Have you been feeling tired or worn out near every day during the same two weeks?
7. Have you been feeling worthless or excessive guilt nearly every day during the same two week period?
8. Have you had problems thinking or concentrating, or making decisions nearly every day during the same two weeks?
9. Have you had recurrent thoughts of death or wanting to die with or without a suicide plan during the same two week period?
10. Have your symptoms caused significant problems at your home, in your job, school, or marriage, or your social life?
11. The symptoms are not due to a physical illness (thyroid problems), medication (some antihypertensives), or street drugs;
12. The symptoms do not occur within two months of the loss of the loved one, which will be a normal mourning reaction unless the symptoms are severe.

Schizophrenia: 5/5

1. Have your experienced two of the following features for at least one month:

1). Hearing things that are often derogatory that no one else could hear, or seeing things that no one else could see;

2). Having bizarre thinking not shared by others as a). people are against you, following you, or trying to hurt you; b). when watching TV, listening to the radio, or reading the paper, you notice that they are referring to you, or that there are special messages intended specially for you; c). People are able to read your mind and know what you are thinking without reading your facial expression; d). thoughts can be taken from or inserted into your head; e). you have special talents, abilities, or powers; f). sometimes you have the feelings that you are being controlled by some force or power from outside;

3). Disorganized and illogical speech;

4). Disorganized, or disruptive, or hostile, or catatonic behavior;

5). Negative symptoms as decreased or no facial expression, poverty of speech, decreased energy and interest in social life and hobbies.

2. The symptoms have caused significantly your social or professional life.
3. The duration of the disturbance caused by the above-mentioned symptoms is at least six months.
4. The symptoms occur only at the time when a mood disorder as depression and or mania is present.
5. The symptoms are not due to a physical illness (Dementia, head injury), medications (some antimalaria medications), or street drugs.

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