Diagnosis systems

The diagnostic systems contain lists of all the diseases that we know of. There are two official psychiatric diagnostic systems, ICD-10 and DSM-IV.

In most European countries, the official diagnosis list is the ICD-10. ICD-10 is the tenth revision of the International Statistical Classification of Disease and Related Health Problems published by the World Health Organisation.

Given that diagnoses are constantly being improved as a tool, we have had several versions of the systems over the years, each of which has been numbered.

In Australia and the USA, the DSM-IV is used. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, the fourth edition, is published by the American Psychiatric Association and is the classification of psychiatric disorders used in Australia. The DSM IV describes symptoms only and is used by mental health professionals to improve reliability and uniformity of diagnosis.

Each disorder included in the DSM has its set of diagnostic criteria. These criteria indicate what symptoms must be present (and for how long) in order to qualify for a diagnosis, as well as those symptoms that must not be present.

Use of diagnostic criteria has been shown to increase diagnostic reliability. However, it is important to remember that these criteria are meant to be used as guidelines in association with clinical judgment, and are not meant to be used in a cookbook fashion.

Depression is found in a section called 'Mood Disorders'
Mood disorders are divided into many diagnoses since depression manifests itself in different ways. Different types of depression require different treatments.