The World Health Organization (WHO) has today published a new, comprehensive diagnostic manual for mental, behavioural, and neurodevelopmental disorders: “The clinical descriptions and diagnostic requirements for ICD-11 mental, behavioural and neurodevelopmental disorders (ICD-11 CDDR).”
ICD-11 was adopted at the World Health Assembly in May 2019 and came into effect formally in January 2022
The manual has been developed using the latest available scientific evidence and best clinical practices and is designed to support qualified mental health and other health professionals to identify and diagnose mental, behavioural and neurodevelopmental disorders in clinical settings.
“An accurate diagnosis is often the first critical step towards receiving appropriate care and treatment. By supporting clinicians to identify and diagnose mental, behavioural and neurodevelopmental disorders, this new ICD-11 diagnostic manual will ensure more people are able to access the quality care and treatment they need” said Dévora Kestel, Director, Mental Health and Substance Use Department, World Health Organization.
The ICD-11 CDDR are aimed at mental health professionals and qualified non-specialist health professionals such as primary care physicians responsible for assigning these diagnoses in clinical settings as well as other health professionals in clinical and non-clinical roles, such as nurses, occupational therapists and social workers, who need to understand the nature and symptoms of mental, behavioural and neurodevelopmental disorders even if they do not personally assign diagnoses.
The ICD-11 CDDR were developed and field-tested through a rigorous, multi-disciplinary and participatory approach involving hundreds of experts and thousands of clinicians from around the world.
