Provides clinical descriptions, diagnostic guidelines, and codes for all
mental and behavioral disorders commonly encountered in clinical
psychiatry. The book was developed from chapter V of the Tenth Revision
of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related
Health Problems (ICD-10). The clinical descriptions and diagnostic
guidelines were finalized after field testing by over 700 clinicians and
researchers in 110 institutes in 40 countries, making this book the
product of the largest ever research effort designed to improve
psychiatric diagnosis. Every effort has been made to define categories
whose existence is scientifically justifiable as well as clinically
useful. The classification divides disorders into ten groups according
to major common themes or descriptive likeness, a new feature, which
makes for increased convenience of use. For each disorder, the book
provides a full description of the main clinical features and all other
important but less specific associated features. Diagnostic guidelines
indicate the number, balance, and duration of symptoms usually required
before a confident diagnosis can be made. Inclusion and exclusion
criteria are also provided, together with conditions to be considered in
differential diagnosis. The guidelines are worded so that a degree of
flexibility is retained for diagnostic decisions in clinical work,
particularly in the situation where provisional diagnosis may have to be
made before the clinical picture is entirely clear or information is
complete.
