A Comprehensive Psychiatric Formulation Model

It is generally accepted that psychiatric formulations ought to be part of a thorough patient evaluation. What should be included in a formulation and how it should be done, however, are less clear. The authors examine several reasons for the lack of consensus about formulations and suggest a basic definition of a psychiatric formulation. Based on underlying principles, they present a twelve component comprehensive psychiatric formulation model, illustrate its use with a case example, and discusss its clinical and educational implications.