1. Diagnosing Mental Disorders- The Multiaxial Approach
Axis on the DSM IV

2. Classifying Mental Illness
There are currently two widely established categorical systems for classifying mental illness:
Chapter V of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) produced by the World Health Organization (WHO) and
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) produced by the American Psychiatric Association

3. Comparison
Both list categories of disorders thought to be distinct types, and have deliberately converged their codes in recent revisions so that the manuals are often broadly comparable, although significant differences remain

4. ICD The ICD is produced by the World Health Organization.
Like the DSM, it is descriptive and largely based on the symptoms reported by the patient and criteria ranked as important by professionals.
It does not consider causes or possible treatment. It has undergone many revisions and is currently up to its tenth (ICD-10).

5. Use of the DSM-IV
Psychologists use the results from diagnostic tests as well as clinical interviews and observations to build a profile of symptoms. They then compare this profile of symptoms to the DSM-IV’s descriptions of disorders.
The disorders described in the DSM are divided into five groups or Axis.

6. Axis IV: psychosocial and environmental problems
Axis I: clinical disorders
Symptoms that cause distress or significantly impair social or occupational functioning (such as anxiety disorders, depression)
Axis II: personality disorders and mental retardation
Chronic and enduring problems that generally persist throughout life and impair interpersonal or occupational functioning (such as multiple personality disorder)
Physical disorders that may be relevant to understanding or treating a psychological disorder
Axis III: general medical condition
Axis IV: psychosocial and environmental problems
Problems (such as interpersonal stressors and negative life events) that may affect the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis (prediction of the course of a disease) of psychological disorders
The individual's overall level of functioning in social, occupational and leisure
Axis V: global assessment of functioning

7. LASTLY:
Read pages , complete Review 18.1 and page 133 of you work book.