Volume_4_Issue_3_Digest

TPC D igest 35 Gary G. Gintner is an Associate Professor of Counselor Education at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. Correspondence can be addressed to Gary G. Gintner, 122 Peabody Hall, School of Education, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, gintner@lsu.edu. T he International Classification of Diseases ( ICD ) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ( DSM ) are the two dominant tools for classifying mental disorders. While they have similarities, there are also important differences that have led to difficulty communicating across the two systems. From the outset of the DSM-5 development, there has been an effort to harmonize differences between the two manuals. A major innovation of DSM-5 is that it jettisons the multiaxial system in favor of the nonaxial system that ICD-10 uses. Further, the forthcoming ICD- 11 will adopt the organizational structure and chapter names of the DSM-5 . One potential shortcoming of this harmonization effort is that diagnostic information is lost in abandoning the multiaxial system. In addition, consilience with the ICD further medicalizes the DSM . A second conceptual innovation of the DSM-5 is the introduction of spectrum disorders and dimensional ratings. Spectrum disorders combine highly overlapping disorders into a single disorder and use a dimensional rating of severity to indicate the individual’s place on the spectrum. Dimensional rating scales are also being introduced to augment the clinical assessment. Concerns include the calibration of the spectrum rating and the psychometric properties of the proposed dimensional measures. A third conceptual innovation is the new organization of the manual’s mental disorders. DSM-5 Conceptual Changes: Innovations, Limitations and Clinical Implications – DIGEST Gary G. Gintner Spectrum Disorders