How many categories do we need?

Abstract

Abstract of presentation by Prof. N. Sartorius.

The presentation will discuss the dependence of the classification of mental disorders on its use. While scientists searching for causes of mental disorders or assessing the effectiveness of a new treatment will need highly homogenous groups of people showing a particular well defined syndrome, practicing clinicians will wish to limit the number of categories in a classification of mental disorders to a level which makes a difference in treatment or management. The World Health Organization has recognized this difference in need and preference and produced in the framework of the 10th Revision of the International Classification of diseases (ICD) a classification of mental disorders in three versions–a version for practicing psychiatrists, a version for use in scientific investigations and a version for use in primary health care. The three versions were translatable (“telescoped”) into each other. The field tests of the three versions of the classification demonstrated that they are easy to use, can be used reliably and fit the syndromes usually encountered in health care services. These findings further supported the Sir Aubrey Lewis’ proposal to accept the division of classifications into a public and several (or many) private versions translatable into each other.

Disclosure of interest

The author has not supplied his declaration of competing interest.