The MINI-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI(-Plus)) is a structured diagnostic interview, developed to assess the diagnoses of psychiatric patients according to DSM-IV and ICD-10 criteria in less time than other diagnostic interviews such as the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV disorders (SCID), the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) or the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN) tend to take. The good psychometric characteristics of the MINI (-Plus) make it a good choice for research purposes. Because of its brevity (20-30 minutes) the interview seems to be especially convenient for diagnosing psychiatric patients in everyday clinical practice. Initial experiences and results with the MINI-Plus in a selected group of Dutch psychiatric patients are described.