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The DSM IV, was published in May 1994 by the American Psychiatric Association. The DSM IV has been referred to as “bible” of psychiatric diagnosis, as it provides definitions, symptoms and characteristics for mental disorders that are recognized by clinicians from around the world.
The DSM IV calls for clinicians to evaluate individuals on five levels or axes. Axis I identifies mental disorders; Axis II identifies personality disorders and mental retardation. Axis III identifies relevant physical diseases and conditions. Axis IV identifies the individuals psychosocial and environmental issues; Axis V is used by the clinicians to assess an individual’s overall functioning based on the 100- point scale called the Global Assessment of Functioning.
The DSM-IV organizes each psychiatric diagnosis into five levels (axes) relating to different aspects of disorder or disability:
Axis I: Clinical disorders, including major mental disorders, and learning disorders; Axis II: Personality disorders and mental retardation ; Axis III: Acute medical conditions and physical disorders; Axis IV: Psychosocial and environmental factors contributing to the disorder.
Description of Common Axis I, II, III: Common Axis I disorders include depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, phobias, and schizophrenia. Common Axis II disorders include personality disorders: paranoid personality disorder, schizoid personality disorder, schizotypal personality disorder, borderline personality disorder,antisocial personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder, avoidant personality disorder, dependent personality disorder, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, and mental retardation. Common Axis III disorders include brain injuries and other medical/physical disorders which may aggravate existing diseases or present symptoms similar to other disorders.
To describe how the DSM is used for that purpose in the work environment – a nonprofit drop-out prevention program- work with at-risk students and their families means to provide a common language and standard criteria for the classification of mental disorders and it helps to analyse the condition of at-risk students and their families. Getting the right treatment always depends on having the right diagnosis. Catching symptoms early makes them easier to treat, less likely to come back, and also less able to damage your life. One in five people has a psychiatric problem at any given moment, and half will have one in a lifetime. But most people who need it never get adequate treatment and there is usually a lag of many years before the right diagnosis is made. The changes in health care delivery make it especially important for you to be an informed consumer, because knowledge is still power. You are more likely to get good care if you are educated about your problem, understand its usual course, and know what can be done to help.Understanding the DSM will help me to be more successful in these roles by understanding exactly which of each psychiatric diagnosis is in the current case and what will help best.