[The future of diagnosis in psychiatry]

Following a brief introduction to the history of psychiatric classification, the article describes the development of the international classification of diseases as a whole, especially ICD-10 as a model of operationalised diagnosis, and reports on the corresponding development of DSM-III to DSM-IV. A future task is the foundation of a new nosology that will include aetiology in the framework of operationalised diagnosis. Atheoretical diagnosis as proposed nowadays according to ICD-10 will remain fictitious. Dimensional diagnoses and multiaxiality will gain in importance, especially in the category of neurotic and personality disorders. Psychiatry in primary health care will be much more important than it is today, as will rehabilitation in psychiatry. The paper concludes with the hope that the next generation will benefit from a single worldwide classification of diagnosis and that the schism between ICD-10 and DSM-IV will be overcome.