Product Description

Provides clinical descriptions, diagnostic guidelines, and codes for all mental and behavioural disorders commonly encountered in clinical psychiatry. The book was developed from chapter V of the Tenth Revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10). The clinical descriptions and diagnostic guidelines were finalized after field testing by over 700 clinicians and researchers in 110 institutes in 40 countries, making this book the product of the largest ever research effort designed to improve psychiatric diagnosis. Every effort has been made to define categories whose existence is scientifically justifiable as well as clinically useful. The classification divides disorders into ten groups according to major common themes or descriptive likeness, a new feature which makes for increased convenience of use. For each disorder, the book provides a full description of the main clinical features and all other important but less specific associated features. Diagnostic guidelines indicate the number, balance, and duration of symptoms usually required before a confident diagnosis can be made.Inclusion and exclusion criteria are also provided, together with conditions to be considered in differential diagnosis. The guidelines are worded so that a degree of flexibility is retained for diagnostic decisions in clinical work, particularly in the situation where provisional diagnosis may have to be made before the clinical picture is entirely clear or information is complete. "...As befitting a publication of considerable influence, the amount of work that went into preparing ICD-10 has been formidable..." - The International Journal of Social Psychiatry

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #98700 in Books
• Published on: 1992-01-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 374 pages

Customer Reviews

A must for mental health professionals
As a nurse lecturer in mental health nursing I have had recourse to this text since my student days. I would never have got through my training without its concise, definitive information on mental disorders. J. Soap PhD may write a lovely book about "Schizophrenia", and J. Doe MSc may have a wonderfully descriptive text on "Depression", but don't waste your time on someone's opinion of what a disorder is or might be - the ICD-10 offers nothing less than the definitive, universally accepted (okay, so the Yanks have their DSM-IV, they're welcome to it!) descriptions of exactly what these disorders are. The language used is very carefully thought out and there is even a section in the introduction explaining how careful the compilers have been to use language which is as neutral as possible, taking great care not to mindlessly use terms loaded with the philosophical leanings of one camp or another. A beautiful work, no mental health professional can credibly be without it.

A comprehensive and accessible series of diagnostic criteria
As with any psychiatric classification system the ICD-10 is not flawless, however, it allows us as clinicians to discuss psychopathological phenomenon using the same language. The various clinical categories are encompassed with ten blocks of clinical descriptions, which allow the user easy access, and quick reference.

In addition, brief notes are supplied in relation to debatable issues such as 'separation of acute and transient psychotic disorders from schizophrenia'. It is interesting to note that whilst the ICD-10 covers the same clinical categories as the DSM-IV-TR, it is approx a third of the size, presenting a more focused format. A must for all mental health professions.