Proposed changes to the psychiatric classification: towards DSM5.

WORLD Health Organization; DISEASES; AMERICAN Psychiatric Association; DIAGNOSIS; MEDICAL care

Objectives: The World Health Organization and the American Psychiatric Association are revising their classifications of mental disorders – a costly, time-consuming exercise with wide implications. This article seeks to make practitioners aware of the proposed changes, which have been posted on the internet and are freely available. Conclusions: Taxonomic changes create strong emotions; the ones proposed for DSM5, though far from drastic, are no exception. The main diagnostic categories remain largely the same as in DSM-IV. Most of the modifications entail moving specific disorders from one section to another, deleting disorders that have had little practical use, or changing the name. The substance-related disorders and personality disorders sections have been changed the most. It remains to be seen whether the proposed new categories – several of them controversial – will make it to the final version. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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