“CHRIS”: A Computer Simulation of Schizophrenia*.

Abstract “CHRIS” is an experimental computer simulation of a patient with a schizophrenic disorder responding to an initial diagnostic interview with a clinician. The program is designed as a teaching aid in psychiatric interviewing and diagnosis. The user of the simulation assumes the role of the “clinician” conducting a diagnostic interview, Upon completion of the interview, the program checks the user's diagnosis for accuracy; it reports a corrected diagnosis if necessary; and finally, it lists all schizophrenic symptoms displayed during that interview. The program is composed of a dictionary of about 800 words including their functional part of speech, a list of about 200 output sentences, and a parser. The simulation provides the student with training experience in specific aspects of a mental disorder without posing any burden upon a human patient.