The Structure and Presentation of Contemporary Psychiatric Classifications with Special Reference to ICD-9 and 10

Abstract

The discussion here is largely concerned with the purposes and structure of classifications of clinical concepts, variously called diseases, illnesses, disorders and syndromes, which are the main reasons why patients go to see doctors. Multiaspect (or multiaxial) classification has deservedly come to the fore in recent years, and seems likely to increase in importance for purposes of education, communication and research in the near future, but it is mentioned only briefly in the following discussion. The main focus of attention for the moment is the clinical descriptions of disorders; this is, of course, usually the first aspect in a multiaspect system, and the one around which the other aspects tend to be organised.