A group of experts at the Department of Psychiatry of the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh have developed a tool called clinical decision support system for diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders.

The system can assist a non-medical person to interview a patient with mental disorders leading to an automated diagnosis. It can also assist a general physician to treat mental disorders in remote areas where there is no mental health care.

A total 18 commonly seen mental disorders are covered in the tool - delirium, dementia, mania, depression, dysthymia, psychosis, obsessive-compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, phobias, reaction to severe stress and adjustment disorder, somato form disorder, dissociative disorder, neurasthenia, sexual dysfunctions, alcohol dependence, substance dependence and mental retardation.

The researchers hope to disseminate the tool in the country. It has also been planned to upscale the system and create mobile platforms so that patients can access services from their homes.