DSM contains, descriptions, symptoms, and other criteria for diagnosing disorders. DSM provides a
common language for mental diagnosis that remain reliable and consistent among providers, just
like ICD-10 provides a common language for diagnosis for providers. Compared to ICD-10 codes,
they are not strictly reimbursable by payers. The ICD is produced by a global health agency with a
constitutional public health mission, while the DSM is produced by a single national professional
association. WHO's primary focus for the mental and behavioral disorders classification is to help
countries to reduce the disease burden of mental disorders. DSM is used by mental/ behavioral
health professionals to provide a means of communicating and recording diagnostic info, as well
as research purposes. Whereas ICD is used to provide billing reference to treatment and
diagnostic. The sole purpose of DSM is to pinpoint mental/behavioral diagnosis for that are not
addressed as detailed by healthcare systems. The DSM is needed because now more than before
because of the awareness that society has on mental illness. Disorders from anxiety, depression,
PTSD, and all sorts of spectrum disorders. With a push for insurances to cover mental healthcare
such as psychological exams and medications. Mental health is not so black and white because
there is not an x-ray or lab work that can give a singular diagnosis like diseases found in the ICD-
10. Just the fact that there is debate on the how the DSM is written shows that there is passion
about the subject as well as the need for clarity on how to diagnosis, track, reports, and pay for
mental health care. ICD does cover mental health issues and behavioral disorders but not in as
much depth as DSM. DSM was made for diagnosing while ICD was developed for coding and actual
reimbursement. The DSM is a manual for the assessment and diagnosis of mental disorders and is
used by therapists, psychologists, and other behavioral and mental health professionals. It has
symptoms, descriptions, and other guidelines for diagnosing mental disorders. DSM is needed
because it provides a reliable way for providers and clinical staff to communicate about the
patient's condition. It helps keep all staff on the same page in the facility and in any other facilities
the patient may go to. DSM helps cause less confusion and mistakes when it comes to the
treatment the patient receives because the language or communication used will be the same.
The DSM does not include information or instructions for the treatment of any disorder but
instead concentrates on helping the provider with deciding on an accurate diagnosis and
classification. DSM is very much needed because it is for psychiatric disorders and diseases. It is
more thorough when it comes to descriptions. DSM is not used for reimbursement like ICD-10, but
now ICD-11 is used. ICD-10 does not specify the diagnosis specifically. The ICD-10 will just give you
the code for the illness that you put in or look up. DSM will specify the code, category and disease
for mental health patients. The important thing to remember is that DSM-V helps clinicians
diagnose behavioral health issues more accurately. ICD-10 helps billing staff code and bill more
accurately, but because of these differences a behavioral health provider's EHR system should
incorporate both types of coding. DSM contains descriptions, symptoms, and other criteria for
diagnosing mental disorders. It provides a common language for clinicians to communicate about
their patients and establishes consistent and reliable diagnoses that can be used in the research
pertaining to mental disorders. DSM diagnoses help social workers and other mental health
professionals understand clients, guiding their interventions from an evidence-based perspective.
Diagnosis helps professionals with goal setting, treatment planning, and determining a client's
prognosis. DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) is the standard
classification of mental disorders that uses a common language and standard criteria used by
mental health professionals. DSM gives descriptions of mental health conditions ranging from
anxiety and mood disorders to substance related and personality disorders dividing them into
categories. Each category has a list of symptoms and guidelines providers can use to determine
whether a patient meets the criteria for one or more diagnostic categories. DSM allows for a
common language to describe mental health disorders and creates consistency. With the help of
DSM more diagnosis can be made which helps with the study, research, and treatment of mental
illness. With ICD, the main focus is overall health. ICD does cover mental health and behavioural
disorders but not in as much depth as the DSM. DSM was developed for diagnosis while ICD was
developed for coding.
Reference
DSM-5 vs. ICD-10-CM. Journal Of AHIMA. (2019, December 11). Retrieved February 23, 2022, from
https://journal.ahima.org/dsm-5-vs-icd-10-cm/
Atayero, S. (2018). The diagnostic system: Why the classification of psychiatric disorders is
necessary, difficult and never settled. Journal of Mental Health, 27(5), 482–482.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09638237.2018.1487545
DSM-5 Frequently asked questions. (2022). Retrieved from American Psychiatric Association:
https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm/feedback-and-questions/frequently-asked-
questions#:~:text=DSM%20contains%20descriptions%2C%20symptoms%2C%20and,the%20research
%20of%20mental%20disorders.
