Delusional Syndromes in ICD—10

Abstract

The psychiatric section, entitled ‘Mental, Behavioural and Developmental Disorders‘ of the International Classification of Diseases, is currently in the process of revision, and ‘ICD—10‘ will shortly become available. This revision will be based partly on its immediate predecessor, the 9th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD—9; World Health Organization, 1978), and also upon the American Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM—III—R; American Psychiatric Association, 1987). ICD—10 describes and lists symptoms required for making each specific diagnosis and it also refers to inclusions and exclusions. The symptoms themselves, however, are not defined nor described, and an ill-informed method of evaluating symptoms or a lack of thoroughness in their ascertainment will result in mistaken diagnoses. The descriptive psychopathologist clearly has a part to play in encouraging accurate usage.