DSM-III: use of the multiaxial diagnostic system in clinical practice

The authors report on the use of the DSM-III, several years after its introduction, in the clinical diagnosis of 154 subjects with first onset psychosis. Clinicians usually assigned Axis I diagnoses but used the remainder of the multiaxial system less than one time in three; if a standard recording form was in place, the multiaxial system was used more often. Trainees used the DSM-III most, followed by psychiatrists affiliated with a university and community based clinicians. Agreement between researchers and clinicians on diagnoses was fair to poor. The authors discuss the implications of the acceptance of the complex diagnostic system in routine clinical practice.