The Status and Role of Mental Disorder Classification Schemes in the Representation of Psychiatric and Clinical Psychology Knowledge
Subject Areas :
1 - Department of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, and Institute for Transformation in Huminites, Faculty of Economics, Management and Social Sciences, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran. Email: mgoodarzi@rose.shirazu
Keywords: Classification, Psychiatry, Clinical Psychology, Mental Disorders,
Abstract :
Classification schemes provide a framework for representing the phenomena and relationships discovered in the field of psychiatry and clinical psychology in a practical manner. This article examines the status of the classification of mental disorders in contemporary psychiatry and clinical psychology, and its role in addressing contemporary human psychological problems, using a descriptive-analytical research method. The tools used included reasoning, comparison, analogy, and interpretation. The data included articles published in the subject area between 1919 and 2025. While the psychiatric classification of mental disorders has significantly contributed to the advancement of scientific research in psychiatry and clinical psychology, and is widely accepted globally, it is not necessarily superior to other classification schemes. Its role in understanding the underlying causes of mental disorders and describing the pathological structures of human nature, as well as guiding the treatment of patients with mental health conditions, has been somewhat limited and reliant on the medical model. Therefore, to address the true nature of the subjects studied in psychiatry and clinical psychology, in line with the developments of the past few centuries, and to meet the needs of therapists and individuals with mental health problems, a paradigm shift in the thinking underlying the classification of mental disorders is necessary. One alternative approach to developing a classification system is to base it on theories of psychotherapy within the field of clinical psychology.
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