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Diagnoses

Value and Limitations

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Book cover Mental Health and Illness of Children and Adolescents

Part of the book series: Mental Health and Illness Worldwide ((MHIW))

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Abstract

Making a diagnosis is a fundamental part of child and adolescent psychiatry that facilitates communication and provision of care. The International Classification of Diseases and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders codify universal definitions of mental disorders and provide operationalized criteria that improve their reliability. However, diagnoses of mental disorders do not reflect distinct entities with known causes. Many mental disorders lie on a continuum and cannot be unambiguously separated from normality or from one another. Comorbidity, heterogeneity, overspecification, overdiagnosis, and stigma have emerged as major challenges to the use of current diagnostic systems. Prototypic diagnoses and dimensional systems have been proposed as alternatives. Yet, a universal categorical system is necessary to support clinical decisions and effective communication. The present systems are imperfect but useful. Appropriate diagnosis makes it more likely that patients receive treatments from which they will benefit. Universality and continuity of diagnostic systems facilitate discoveries and enable evidence-based treatment. This chapter provides a summary of knowledge supporting the use of the present diagnostic systems and provides guidance on using diagnostic categories for the benefit of patients.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada

    Rudolf Uher

Authors
  1. Rudolf Uher
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Correspondence to Rudolf Uher .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. King’s College London, London, UK

    Eric Taylor

  2. Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    F. C. Verhulst

  3. National University Hospital, Singapore, Singapore

    John Wong

  4. Kyushu University Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan

    Keiko Yoshida

  5. King's College London, London, UK

    Anula Nikapota

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    F Verhulst

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Uher, R. (2020). Diagnoses. In: Taylor, E., Verhulst, F., Wong, J., Yoshida, K., Nikapota, A. (eds) Mental Health and Illness of Children and Adolescents. Mental Health and Illness Worldwide. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0753-8_6-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0753-8_6-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-10-0753-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-10-0753-8

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