T A B L E 5-2 A Condensed Version of theDSM-IV-TR
Axis I: Clinical Disorders or Other Conditions That May Be a Focus of Clinical Attention
■ Disorders usually first diagnosed in infancy, childhood, or adolescence (e.g., Pervasive Developmental Disorders)
■ Delirium, Dementia, and Amnestic and Other Cognitive Disorders
■ Mental Disorders Due to a General Medical Condition
■ Substance-related Disorders (e.g., alcohol abuse; cocaine dependence)
■ Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
■ Mood Disorders (e.g., Major Depression, Bipolar Disorder)
■ Anxiety Disorders (e.g., Agoraphobia; Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)
■ Somatoform Disorders (e.g., Hypochondriasis)
■ Factitious Disorders
■ Dissociative Disorders (e.g., Dissociative Identity Disorder)
■ Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders (e.g., Vaginismus; Fetishism)
■ Eating Disorders (e.g., Anorexia Nervosa)
■ Sleep Disorders (e.g., Narcolepsy)
■ Impulse Control Disorders (e.g., Kleptomania)
■ Adjustment Disorders
■ Other conditions that may be a focus of clinical attention (e.g., Bereavement)
Axis II: Personality Disorders and Mental Retardation
■ Personality Disorders (e.g., Borderline, Antisocial, Dependent, Paranoid)
■ Mental Retardation
Axis III: General Medical Conditions That Are Potentially Relevant to the Understanding or Management of the
Individual’s Mental Disorder
Axis IV: Psychosocial and Environmental Problems
■ Problems with primary support group
■ Problems related to the social environment
■ Educational problems
■ Occupational problems
■ Housing problems
■ Economic problems
■ Problems with access to heath care services
■ Problems related to interaction with the legal system/crime
■ Other psychosocial and environmental problems
Axis V: Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) Scalea
Code Description
100 to 91 Superior functioning in a wide range of activities
81 to 90 Absent or minimal symptoms (e.g., mild anxiety before an exam), good functioning in all areas,
interested and involved in a wide range of activities, socially effective, generally satisfied with
life, no more than everyday problems or concerns (e.g., occasional argument).
71 to 80 If symptoms are present they are transient, expectable reactions to psychosocial stressors.
61 to 70 Some mild symptoms.
51 to 60 Moderate symptoms.
41 to 50 Serious symptoms (e.g., suicidal ideation, severe obsessional rituals, frequent shoplifting) OR any seri-
ous impairment in social, occupational, or school functioning (e.g., no friends, unable to keep a job).
31 to 40 Some impairment in reality testing or communication.
21 to 30 Behavior is considerably influenced by delusions or hallucinations.
11 to 20 Some danger of hurting self or others.
1to10 Persistent danger of severely hurting self or others (e.g., recurrent violence) OR persistent inability to
maintain minimal personal hygiene OR serious suicidal act with clear expectation of death
0 Inadequate information
aFull descriptions are provided here only for Codes 90–81, 50–41, and 10–1.
Reprinted with permission from theDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision,Copyright © 2000 American
Psychiatric Association.
DIAGNOSIS AND CLASSIFICATION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS 145