Diagnoosikriteerejä

Diagnoosikriteerejä, or diagnostic criteria in Finnish, refer to the set of specific symptoms, signs, and patient histories used by clinicians to determine whether an individual meets the threshold for a particular disorder or medical condition. These criteria serve to standardize diagnosis across practitioners and settings, improving communication, treatment planning, and research comparability.

In mental health, the most widely used diagnostic frameworks are the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) and the International Classification of Diseases (ICD‑11). Each manual defines a list of core symptoms, optional supportive features, duration requirements, and exclusionary conditions that together constitute the diagnostic thresholds for disorders such as major depressive disorder, schizophrenia, and autism spectrum disorder. In medicine, criteria may be based on laboratory values, imaging findings, or clinical scoring systems—for example, the chest pain diagnostic criteria that combine biomarker levels with electrocardiographic changes to trigger an ST‑segment elevation myocardial infarction code.

Key statistical concepts underpinning diagnostic criteria include sensitivity and specificity. Sensitivity measures the proportion of true positives correctly identified, whereas specificity measures the proportion of true negatives correctly excluded. Clinicians often balance these to match the context, prioritizing sensitivity in screening tests and specificity in confirmatory tests. Reliability, the consistency of diagnosis across different observers, is assessed through inter‑rater agreement metrics such as Cohen’s kappa.

Diagnostic criteria evolve as scientific evidence advances. Updates to the DSM, ICD, or disease‑specific guidelines incorporate new biomarkers, genetic information, and refined clinical observations. By codifying what constitutes a particular illness, diagnostic criteria provide a common language that guides assessment, therapeutic decision‑making, and epidemiological surveillance.