ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we will look at how mental health diagnoses are typically assigned in the behavioral health industry. Specifically, we will focus on some of underpinnings of the ICD-10’s CDDG and how the ICD-10 CDDG system differs from other systems in use. To briefly review: the ICD-10 CDDGs were written and published in 1992; the DSM-5 was published in 2013; and the new ICD-11 CDDGs are currently being developed to coincide with the release of ICD-11 by the WHO in 2018. When that happens, the ICD-11 CDDGs will then be the most up-to-date diagnostic manual in the world that aligns with ICD code diagnoses. For an in-depth discussion about the development of the ICD-11 CDDG, see Michael B. First et al.’s February 2015 article in World Psychiatry: “The development of the ICD-11 clinical descriptions and diagnostic guidelines for mental and behavioral disorders.”Also, it is imperative to distinguish between the display of coded numbers and their itemized diagnoses in the ICD-10 CDDG system. To review, the ICD-10 CDDG was developed in 1992 and the ICD-10-CM (used in the USA) has been updated annually. When you visually see code numbers in the 1992 ICD-10 CDDG, keep in mind these are not current to the US ICD-10-CM system. Rather, we will be using the ICD-10 CDDG strictly for its utilization of arriving at diagnoses, clinical descriptions, and diagnostic criteria; therefore, the “code numbers” in the ICD-10 CDDG are outdated and clinicians are best advised to use the current year’s Tabular Index.
