This book provides an overview of the strengths and limitations of the currently available systems for the diagnosis and classification of mental disorders, in particular the DSM-IV and the ICD-10, and of the prospects for future developments.

Among the covered issues are:

• The impact of biological research
• The diagnosis of mental disorders in primary care
• The usefulness and limitations of the concept of comorbidity in psychiatry
• The role of understanding and empathy in the diagnostic process
• The ethical, legal and social aspects of psychiatric classification

Psychiatric Diagnosis & Classification provides a comprehensive picture of the current state of available diagnostic and classificatory systems in psychiatry and the improvements that are needed.