Classification in Traditional Nosologies

Abstract

Abstract The classification of psychopathology drives many aspects of the mental health profession. This chapter outlines the major controversies current today in traditional psychiatric classification, including the definition of mental disorder, the organization of classificatory systems, issues concerning comorbidity, measurement issues, and many others. These controversies are tracked historically across the various editions of the American Psychiatric Association’s DSM and the World Health Organization’s ICD and put into their historical context. This chapter argues that the classification of mental disorders is an inherently value-laden and subjective enterprise, but one that is nonetheless integral to the science and practice of mental health.