Skip to main content
NCBI home page
International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research logoLink to International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research
. 2007 Jun 6;16(Suppl 1):S1–S5. doi: 10.1002/mpr.209

Dimensional approaches to psychiatric classification: refining the research agenda for DSM‐V: an introduction

Darrel A Regier 1,✉
PMCID: PMC6879077  PMID: 17623390

Abstract

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) will publish the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM‐V), in 2012. This paper reviews the extended, multi‐faceted research planning preparations that APA has undertaken, several in collaboration with the World Health Organization and the U.S. National Institutes of Health, to assess the current state of diagnosis‐relevant research and to generate short‐ and long‐term recommendations for research needed to enrich DSM‐V and future psychiatric classifications. This research review and planning process has underscored widespread interest among nosologists in the US and globally regarding the potential benefits for research and clinical practice of incorporating a dimensional component into the existing categorical, or binary, classification system in the DSM. Toward this end, the APA and its partners convened an international conference in July 2006 to critically appraise the use of dimensional constructs in psychiatric diagnostic systems. Resultant papers appear in this issue of International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research and in a forthcoming monograph to be published by APA. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Keywords: DSM‐V, dimensional, categorical, validity, clinical utility

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (111.8 KB).

REFERENCES

  1. American Psychiatric Association (APA) . Diagnostic and Statistical Manual: Mental Disorders. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association, 1952. [Google Scholar]
  2. American Psychiatric Association (APA) . Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 2nd Edition Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association, 1968. [Google Scholar]
  3. American Psychiatric Association (APA) . Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd Edition Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association, 1980. [Google Scholar]
  4. American Psychiatric Association (APA) . Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd Edition, Revised. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association, 1987. [Google Scholar]
  5. American Psychiatric Association (APA) . Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, Revised. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association, 1994. [Google Scholar]
  6. American Psychiatric Association (APA) . Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, Text Revision. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association, 2000. [Google Scholar]
  7. Feighner JF, Robins E, Guze SB, et al. Diagnostic criteria for use in psychiatric research. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1972; 26: 57–63. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kendall R, Jablensky A. Distinguishing between the validity and utility of psychiatric diagnoses. Am J Psychiatry 2003; 160: 2–12. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Kupfer DJ, First MB, Regier DA (eds). A Research Agenda for DSM‐V. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association, 2002. [Google Scholar]
  10. Narrow WE, First MB, Sirovatka P, Regier DA (eds). Age and Gender Considerations in Psychiatric Diagnosis: A Research Agenda for DSM‐V. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association, 2007. [Google Scholar]
  11. Regier DA, Meyer JK, Kramer M, et al. The NIMH Epidemiologic Catchment Area program: historical context, major objectives, and study population characteristics. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1984; 41: 934–41. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Robins E, Guze SB. Establishment of diagnostic validity in psychiatric illness: its application to schizophrenia. Am J Psychiatry 1970; 126: 983–7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Robins LN, Helzer JE, Croughan J, et al. National Institute of Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule: it's history, characteristics, and validity. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1981; 38: 381–9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Spitzer RL, Endicott J, Robins E. Research Diagnostic Criteria: rationale and reliability. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1978; 35: 773–82. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Widiger TA, Simonsen E, Sirovatka PJ, Regier DA. Dimensional Models of Personality Disorders: Refining the Research Agenda for DSM‐V. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association, 2006. [Google Scholar]
  16. World Health Organization (WHO) . International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision. Geneva: World Health Organization, 1992a. [Google Scholar]
  17. World Health Organization (WHO) . The ICD‐10 Classification of Mental and Behavioural Disorders: Clinical Descriptions and Diagnostic Guidelines. Geneva: World Health Organization, 1992b. [Google Scholar]

Articles from International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research are provided here courtesy of Wiley

RESOURCES