The classification of anxiety and fear ‐related disorders in the icd‐11

This article describes changes in the organization and diagnostic guidelines for anxiety and fear‐related disorders proposed by the ICD‐11 Working Group on the Classification of Mood and Anxiety Disorders and the rationale and evidence base for the proposals. In ICD‐11, anxiety and fear‐related disorders that manifest across the lifespan are brought together under a new grouping, and are partly distinguished by their focus of apprehension. The focus of apprehension is the stimulus or situation that triggers the fear or anxiety and may be highly specific as in specific phobia or relate to a broader class of situations as in social anxiety disorder. The guidelines also clarify the relationship between panic disorder and agoraphobia and a qualifier is provided for panic attacks in the context of other disorders. A standardized format emphasizing essential features of anxiety disorders is intended to improve clinical utility. Guidelines will be further refined based on findings from two types of field studies: those using a case‐controlled vignette methodology disseminated via the Internet to practitioners worldwide (http://gcp.network) and clinic‐based field trials implemented globally at participating field study centers.

Source: Depression and Anxiety - July 12, 2016 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Cary S. Kogan, Dan J. Stein, Mario Maj, Michael B. First, Paul M. G. Emmelkamp, Geoffrey M. Reed Tags: Review Source Type: research