A Guide to the American Psychiatric Association's New Diagnostic Nomenclature
ROBERT L. SPITZER M.D.1, and
PAUL T. WILSON M.D.2
1 Director, evaluation unit, biometrics research, New York State Department of Mental Hygiene at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, 722 West 168th Street, New York, N. Y. 10032
2 Principal investigator, American Psychiatric Association information processing project
The new diagnostic nomenclature, which will become official on July 1, represents a significant advance toward the use of a standard international classification system to facilitate the exchange of ideas among psychiatrists of all countries. The ways in which the new manual (DSM-II) differs both from the original (DSM-I) and from the current World Health Organization International Classification of Diseases (ICD-8) are discussed to aid psychiatrists in making the transition.
