DSM-IV

abbreviation for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition), prepared by the Task Force on Nomenclature and Statistics of the American Psychiatric Association. It is the Association's official manual of mental disorders and provides detailed descriptions of categories of disorders as well as diagnostic criteria. Disorders are placed on one of five axes: axis I includes all the clinical syndromes and V codes except for personality disorders and mental retardation; axis II includes the personality disorders and mental retardation; axis III lists any coexisting physical disorders or conditions; axis IV assesses the severity of psychosocial and environmental stressors; and axis V consists of a global assessment of functioning, using a 100 point scale assessing the highest level of functioning during the past year and the current level of functioning.

DSM-IV

Psychiatry The current DSM, which standardizes criteria for diagnosing psychiatric nosologies. See DSM.

DSM-IV

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV). This reference book, published by the American Psychiatric Association, is the diagnostic standard for most mental health professionals in the United States.Mentioned in: Bipolar Disorder