DSM & ICD – Categorising

DSM & ICD – Categorising

 

Background

This is the first study we will be looking at from the ‘Diagnosis of Dysfunctional Behaviour’ section of ‘Dysfunctional Behaviour’, as part of your OCR A2 Health and Clinical Psychology course. It is further categorised into ‘Categorising.’

While it is not essential, The Myth of Mental Illness: Foundations of a Theory of Personal Conduct is a highly interesting and relevant read that you might want to consider.

The DSM and the ICD is not a study, but they are manuals for diagnosing mental disorders.

Watch the following video on the DSM and ICD:


As of 2013 the DSM is on version 5 and the ICD is on version 10. 

International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10)

In ICD-10 each disorder has a description of the main features, and any important associated features.

Each disorder is then given a code. The numerical coding of 001–099 in ICD-9 has now been replaced by A00-Z99, which gives more possible categories.

Examples of some of the categories:

  • Dementia
  • Schizophrenia
  • Mood (affective) disorders
  • Personality disorders.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Firth Edition (DSM-V)

DSM is a multi-axial tool, which means that clinicians have to consider if a disorder is from Axis 1 (clinical disorders) and/or Axis 2 (personality disorders).

  Then the general medical condition of the patient is considered, plus any social and environmental problems.

This is all used to assess functioning of the person on a scale from 1-100.

The DSM-V has classifications that include:

  • learning disorders
  • communication disorders
  • dementia
  • substance-related disorders
  • sleep disorders
  • sexual and gender identity disorders.
References
Further Reading

The Myth of Mental Illness: Foundations of a Theory of Personal Conduct

OCR A2 Psychology Student Unit Guide New Edition: Unit G543 Health and Clinical Psychology (Student Unit Guides)

Psych Yogi’s Top Ten Psychology Revision Tips for the A* Student