summary
The mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (mini(-Plus)) is a structured diagnostic interview, developed to assess the diagnoses of psychiatric patients according to dsm-iv and icd-10 criteria in less time than other diagnostic interviews such as the Structured Clinical Interview for dsm-iv disorders (scid), the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (cidi) or the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (scan) tend to take. The good psychometric characteristics of the mini (-Plus) make it a good choice for research purposes. Because of its brevity (20-30 minutes) the interview seems to be especially convenient for diagnosing psychiatric patients in everyday clinical practice. Initial experiences and results with the mini-Plus in a selected group of Dutch psychiatric patients are described.