Classification issues and challenges in child and adolescent psychopathology

Abstract

The major advances that have taken place over the last half century are reviewed with a focus on those that are particularly important with respect to classification issues in the field of child and adolescent psychopathology. Attention is paid to the conceptual issues in DSM and ICD development and differences between the two classifications. Specific recommendations for changes in ICD-11 are presented and an online supplement provides specific details with respect to diagnostic categories that are in need of further testing.

Declaration of interest: Michael Rutter has been involved in WHO activities with respect to ICD diagnosis and classification since the mid 1960s. He was also on the APA's child and adolescent psychiatry working party for DSM-IV and on the joint committee between DSM and ICD for harmonization between the two classification systems. Currently, he chairs the WHO child and adolescent psychopathology working party for ICD-11. Rudolph Uher is a consultant to the same WHO working party. However, this paper is written entirely as individuals; accordingly the views expressed are theirs and not those of either the working party or WHO, including the views, policies, or other official positions of the WHO or its advisory group or any of its working parties. Nevertheless, we wish to express our gratitude to both the ICD-11 working party and to its DSM-5 counterpart for the clear thinking, creative ideas and empirical evidence that they provided and which we have used to underpin this essay. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.