Classification in Psychiatry

Classification in psychiatry has ancient roots but mainly took form in the 19th and 20th centuries. European and American psychiatrists brought to the fore careful observation and description of clinical course. Formal attempts to classify patients took root after World War II based on the exigencies of the time. The DSM-I was published in 1952 and summarized all the diagnoses in psychiatry. Diagnostic criteria were introduced in the DSM-III in 1980 to introduce reliability to the diagnostic process, and a multiaxial system was introduced to aid in the comprehensive assessment of patients, later dropped in the DSM-5. Dimensional measures were introduced to aid with patient assessment, although many categories were reformulated based on research findings. In the DSM-5, the diagnoses are listed in order of clinical importance. Residual categories exist for those who do not meet the criteria for a more specific disorder. Although the DSM-5 has been criticized, criteria-based diagnoses will persist until a system can be created based on etiology.  This review contains 2 tables, and 23 references Keywords: classification in psychiatry, diagnostic criteria, DSM-5, Feighner criteria, International Classification of Diseases, Kraepelin