Psychotic disorders in ICD-11

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Mental Health Diagnostics
• Disease Classification

Background:

• The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is undergoing revision.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) established a Working Group on the Classification of Psychotic Disorders (WGPD) for this revision.
• Current diagnostic classifications for psychotic disorders require updates to enhance clinical utility, reliability, and validity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline proposed changes to the classification of schizophrenia and other primary psychotic disorders for the upcoming ICD-11.
• To compare these proposals with those for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5).

Main Methods:

• Review and synthesis of proposed revisions by the WGPD.
• Field trials to test the proposed diagnostic criteria.
• Comparison with existing classification systems, specifically DSM-5.

Main Results:

• Proposed changes include revising the chapter title, replacing schizophrenia subtypes with symptom specifiers, and revising course specifiers.
• Stricter diagnostic criteria for schizoaffective disorder are proposed.
• Reorganization of acute and transient psychotic disorders and delusional disorders is suggested.

Conclusions:

• The proposed revisions aim to enhance the clinical utility, reliability, and validity of psychotic disorder diagnoses in ICD-11.
• Field testing and clinical practice feedback will inform final revisions.
• The revised classification will be published in 2015.