Unlike the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 10 (and now
11), the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
focuses primarily on psychiatric disorders and diseases. This means
that the DSM is more particular and thorough about its descriptions.
So much so, that after an international mental health conference in
1982 there was worldwide agreement for the ICD to adopt more
explicit diagnostic criteria to define mental disorders that adhered to
what was in the DSM. Since then, the World Health Organization
(WHO) has worked with the American Psychiatric Association (APA)
to better align their systems and work more seamlessly with each
other (Regier et al., 2013).
The biggest hurdle for the compatibility of both systems is the fact
that the ICD is an international tool while the DSM is primarily an
American one, which can cause issues when it comes to assessing
problems due to cultural differences (Regier et al., 2013). Problems
notwithstanding, the DSMs more in-depth indexing of mental health
helps improve the care that people receive by helping doctors more
readily recognize mental disorders when they appear.
Reference
Regier, D. A., Kuhl, E. A., & Kupfer, D. J. (2013). The DSM-5: Classification and criteria
changes. World Psychiatry, 12(2), 92–98. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20050
