title: Classifying neurocognitive disorders: the DSM-5 approach.
abstract: Neurocognitive disorders--including delirium, mild cognitive impairment and dementia--are characterized by decline from a previously attained level of cognitive functioning. These disorders have diverse clinical characteristics and aetiologies, with Alzheimer disease, cerebrovascular disease, Lewy body disease, frontotemporal degeneration, traumatic brain injury, infections, and alcohol abuse representing common causes. This diversity is reflected by the variety of approaches to classifying these disorders, with separate groups determining criteria for each disorder on the basis of aetiology. As a result, there is now an array of terms to describe cognitive syndromes, various definitions for the same syndrome, and often multiple criteria to determine a specific aetiology. The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) provides a common framework for the diagnosis of neurocognitive disorders, first by describing the main cognitive syndromes, and then defining criteria to delineate specific aetiological subtypes of mild and major neurocognitive disorders. The DSM-5 approach builds on the expectation that clinicians and research groups will welcome a common language to deal with the neurocognitive disorders. As the use of these criteria becomes more widespread, a common international classification for these disorders could emerge for the first time, thus promoting efficient communication among clinicians and researchers.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Prince of Wales Hospital, Barker Street, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia.
authors.forename: Perminder S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Sachdev
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, 401 Park Drive, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Blacker
authors.affiliation: Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University, 3521 Hospital South, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
authors.forename: Dan G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Blazer
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, 3811 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ganguli
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of California at San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
authors.forename: Dilip V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Jeste
authors.affiliation: Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
authors.forename: Jane S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Paulsen
authors.affiliation: Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
authors.forename: Ronald C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Petersen
mesh_terms: D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis; D003693:Delirium / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis; D003704:Dementia / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D006801:Humans