The classification of stress-related disorders in ICD-10 and DSM-IV

Abstract

This paper reviews the psychopathology, the nosology and classification principles of stress-related disorders, with focus on how they are characterized in ICD-10 and DSM-IV. The presence of a stressor and the reexperience of the event are the two criteria present in the three diagnostic systems: ICD-10 Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC), ICD-10 Diagnostic Guidelines (DG), and DSM-IV. ICD-10 RDC and DSM-IV, being more strict, add two more criteria: avoidance and increased physiological arousal. ICD-10 RDC allows this to be substituted by 'inability to recall', while ICD-10 DG add a few more symptoms which are not necessary for the diagnosis but may be typical (numbness), common (anxiety and depression) or rare (acute bursts of fear or aggression). DSM-IV is the only system which mentions symptoms specific for children.