title: The DSM series and experience with DSM-IV.
abstract: DSM-IV is the standard language for psychiatric diagnosis in the United States. An unanticipated consequence of DSM-III is international interest in this American document; for example, DSM-III was translated into 13 languages. This was due to its adopting a descriptive classification that eschewed etiologic theory and contained operational definitions, following Stengel's recommendations in his WHO report in 1959. These principles were eventually implemented in ICD-10, with the result of being two somewhat different classification systems. Although WHO-APA collaborations have minimized differences, a significant number remains, with only a few reflecting true ideological differences. The challenge for the future will be to integrate the two systems to produce, as much as possible, a unified system for international diagnostic communication.
authors.affiliation: Columbia University Department of Psychiatry and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA. mbf2@columbia.edu
authors.forename: Michael B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: First
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D038801:International Classification of Diseases / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007391:International Cooperation; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014481:United States; D014944:World Health Organization