Abstract
The question of how to optimally organize into chapters and label the different categories of mental disorders is an important
one for DSM-5 and ICD-11. The grouping of mental disorders, or meta-structure, should arguably reflect knowledge on the validity
of different conditions and their relationships, and should ideally contribute to improving the clinical utility of the nosology
by guiding clinical assessment and management. The DSM-5 Anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum, Posttraumatic, and Dissociative Disorders Workgroup has reviewed the nature of anxiety
disorders, the possibility of including a new category of obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders in the DSM-5, and the concept of traumatic stress disorders. It is difficult to devise a perfect nosology that dissects nature at her
joints; instead, any particular approach to the meta-structure would seem to have pros and cons that must be carefully weighed.
Despite the imperfections of any meta-structure, we are hopeful that each revision of the nosology will bring with it greater
diagnostic validity and clinical utility.
one for DSM-5 and ICD-11. The grouping of mental disorders, or meta-structure, should arguably reflect knowledge on the validity
of different conditions and their relationships, and should ideally contribute to improving the clinical utility of the nosology
by guiding clinical assessment and management. The DSM-5 Anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum, Posttraumatic, and Dissociative Disorders Workgroup has reviewed the nature of anxiety
disorders, the possibility of including a new category of obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders in the DSM-5, and the concept of traumatic stress disorders. It is difficult to devise a perfect nosology that dissects nature at her
joints; instead, any particular approach to the meta-structure would seem to have pros and cons that must be carefully weighed.
Despite the imperfections of any meta-structure, we are hopeful that each revision of the nosology will bring with it greater
diagnostic validity and clinical utility.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Category Invited Commentary
- Pages 248-250
- DOI 10.1007/s11920-011-0207-1
- Authors
- Dan J. Stein, University of Cape Town Department of Psychiatry, Groote Schuur Hospital J-2, Anzio Road, Observatory 7925, Cape Town, South Africa
- Michelle G. Craske, Department of Psychology and Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Matthew J. Friedman, National Center for PTSD, US Department of Veterans Affairs, and Departments of Psychiatry and Pharmacology and Toxicology, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH, USA
- Katharine A. Phillips, Rhode Island Hospital and the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
- Journal Current Psychiatry Reports
- Online ISSN 1535-1645
- Print ISSN 1523-3812
- Journal Volume Volume 13
- Journal Issue Volume 13, Number 4 / August, 2011