[Latent dysphoria: an instrument of screening and diagnosis (preliminary results)].

AIM: Latent dysphoria is a kind of emotional disorder. Its key features are floating feeling of dissatisfaction and irritability accompanied with suppression of expression of these emotions. The article is devoted to the development of a screening diagnostic tool (checklist) to screen and evaluate patients with this emotional problem.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Three hundred and ninety-four neurologists (outpatient segment) were surveyed to assess the prevalence of an emotional disorder that met criteria of latent dysphoria suggested by the authors. To develop a diagnostic tool, expert judgement method, with the involvement of 19 experts in different medical fields (psychiatry, psychology, gastroenterology, neurology), was used.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The final checklist contained the most typical signs of this disorder according to the opinion of the experts. The procedure of evaluation of these signs was developed. However, the results should be considered as preliminary and clinical psychiatric validation of the tool is needed.