Values in psychiatric diagnosis: developments in policy, training and research

Diagnosis, although traditionally thought to be a value-free scientific process, incorporates values, for example in judgements of impaired functioning and clinical significance. Such judgements are particularly problematic in psychiatry because the values concerned are often diverse and hence potentially conflicting. Values-based practice is the theory and clinical skills-base for effective healthcare decision-making where, as in relation to psychiatric diagnosis, diverse and conflicting values are in play. The paper describes recent developments in values-based practice in the UK and with international partners, in policy (a national framework for values-based practice in mental health service provision), training (a training manual launched recently by the Minister responsible for mental health in the UK) and research (including an international research methods meeting on psychiatric diagnosis funded by the National Institute for Mental Health in England).