Psychology Study Material: Classification of Mental Disorders
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Classification of Mental Disorders
- Kraepelin gave the first classification system of mental disorders.
- A number of classification systems followed afterwards.
- The purpose was to assist the clinicians diagnose mental disorders, as well as to determine the extent of the problem.
Classification Systems
- DSM- IV- TR
- ICD
DSM-IV-TR
- Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders is the classification system compiled by the American Psychiatric Association.
- This is the most widely used classification system all over the world.
ICD: International Classification
- For decades, mental health professionals in Western Europe and a major part of the world used this classification system.
- The World Health Organization developed ICD.
- ICD is a comprehensive classification system of all kinds of diseases, including psychological or psychiatric illnesses.
- For a number of years ICD9 remained a popular diagnostic system.
- Research, in the last more than a decade, reflected that the revised and improved versions of DSM had an edge over ICD in many respects.
- Besides, there were no major differences as such in the two systems.
- Also, the need for a single universally accepted system was intensely felt.
- Therefore, today DSM-IV-TR is recognized as a universally accepted diagnostic system.
DSM-IV-TR
- The first DSM was published in 1917.
- It originated from a project of the American Medico-Psychological Association, now known as American psychiatric Association and United States Bureau of the Census.
- In order to collect uniform data on hospitalized mental patients, they developed a list of 59 mental illnesses.
- The list was further expanded with the publication of the first DSM in 1952.
- The first DSM included a list of 106 mental illnesses.
- DSM-II was published in 1968.
- DSM-III was published in 1980.
- DSM-III-R was published in 1987.
- DSM-IV was published in 1994.
- DSM-IV was developed after a special 27-member task force of experts worked for five years.
- More than 1000 psychiatrists contributed and advised in deciding about the diseases and other information to be included in DSM-IV.
- DSM-IV-TR was published in 2000.
- DSM-IV-TR contains definitions of more than 200 mental disorders.
- These disorders are organized into 17 major categories.
Multi Axial System of DSM-IV-TR
DSM-IV-R also contains five axes, or five types of information, that have to be considered in the diagnosis of a patient.
Axes of DSM-IV-TR
- Axis I: Clinical disorders
- Axis II: Long standing problems that are frequently overlooked in the presence of disorders listed in axis mental retardation, personality disorder & I.
- Axis III: General medical conditions that may be relevant to a psychological disorder.
- Axis IV: Psychosocial or environmental problems that a person is facing.
- These problems may affect the diagnosis, treatment, or the course of the mental disorder.
- Axis V: Global Assessment of Functioning.