Health ministry of republic of moldova the university of medicine and pharmacy nicolae testemiţanu

Axis I
lists 14 major clinical syndromes. These include disorders 
usually first diagnosed in childhood or adolescence
 
(hyperactivity, men-
tal retardation, autism); dementia, amnesia, and other cognitive disor-
ders; substance-related disorders; schizophrenia and other conditions 
characterized by abnormalities in thinking, perception, and emotion; and 
sexual and gender identity disorders.
Axis II
is for assessment of personality
 
disorders lifelong, deeply 
ingrained patterns of behavior that are destructive to those who display 
them or to others. Some examples are narcissistic, dependent, avoidant, 
and antisocial personality types. This axis also includes developmental 
disorders in children.
Axis III
considers any organic medical problems that may be present.
The IVth axis
includes any environmental or psychosocial factors 
affecting a person’s condition (such as the loss of a loved one, sexual 
abuse, divorce, career changes, poverty, or homelessness).
In axis V
, the diagnostician assesses the person’s level of functio-
ning within the previous 12 months on a scale of 1 to 100. Besides diag-
nostic criteria, the 
DSM-IV 
also provides information about mental and 
emotional disorders, covering areas such as probable cause, average age 
at onset, possible complications, amount of impairment, prevalence, 
gender ratio, predisposing factors, and family
 
patterns.
 
The current version (ICD-10) compiled in 1992, includes disabili-
ties and factors influencing health status as well as factors that can cause 
death. The section on „Mental and behavioral disorders” contains 1000 
categorical slots divided into nine groups (all conditions being coded 
with a letter of the alphabet, in this case F.).
The other major classification is the American Psychiatric Associa-
tion’s 
DSM.
Debate continues among American psychiatrists on many 

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aspects of the current version, DSM-IV, which came into use in may 
1994. One of the aims of this latest revision was to coordinate it with the 
ICD-10. This made it more useful for psychiatrists interested in interna-
tional research but more difficult for clinicians to use in daily practice.