What are psychiatric diagnoses?

There are two official diagnostic systems, each of which contains lists of all illnesses. Given that diagnoses are constantly being improved as a tool, we have had several versions of the systems over the years, each of which has been numbered.

What is DSM IV?

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, the fourth edition, is published by the American Psychiatric Association and is the classification of psychiatric disorders used in Canada. The DSM IV describes symptoms only and is used by mental health professionals to improve reliability and uniformity of diagnosis.

ICD 10 is the tenth revision of the International Statistical Classification of Disease and Related Health Problems published by the World Health Organisation and used in many European countries.

Depression is found in a section called 'Mood Disorders'

Mood disorders are divided into many diagnoses since depression manifests itself in different ways. Different types of depression require different treatment.