Axis I consisted of mental health and substance use disorders (SUDs); Axis II was reserved for personality disorders and mental retardation; Axis III was used for coding general medical conditions; Axis IV was to note psychosocial and environmental problems (e.g., housing, employment); and Axis V was an assessment of …

Anxiety Disorders. Somatoform Disorders. Factitious Disorders. Dissociative Disorders. Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders.

Axis I disorders tend to be the most commonly found in the public. They include anxiety disorders, such as panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Other examples of Axis I disorders are as follows: Dissociative disorders. Eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, etc.)

According to DSM-IV (see Text Box), “Axis IV is for reporting psychosocial and environmental problems that may affect the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of mental disorders” (DSM-IV, p. 31).

A person can have just one Axis I diagnosis, or more than one. Axis II: If the person has mental retardation (intellectual disability, autism) or a personality disorder, it is listed here.

In the DSM-IV, patients only needed one symptom present to be diagnosed with substance abuse, while the DSM-5 requires two or more symptoms in order to be diagnosed with substance use disorder. The DSM-5 eliminated the physiological subtype and the diagnosis of polysubstance dependence.

The DSM-IV lists approximately 297 disorders.

Schizophrenia causes symptoms that are more severe than the symptoms of bipolar disorder. People with schizophrenia experience hallucinations and delusions. Hallucinations involve seeing or hearing things that aren’t there. Delusions are beliefs in things that aren’t true.

Medications

• Clomipramine (Anafranil) for adults and children 10 years and older.
• Fluoxetine (Prozac) for adults and children 7 years and older.
• Fluvoxamine for adults and children 8 years and older.
• Paroxetine (Paxil, Pexeva) for adults only.
• Sertraline (Zoloft) for adults and children 6 years and older.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) features a pattern of unwanted thoughts and fears (obsessions) that lead you to do repetitive behaviors (compulsions). These obsessions and compulsions interfere with daily activities and cause significant distress.

The two most common diagnoses associated with intrusive thoughts are anxiety and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). They can also be a symptom of depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Bipolar Disorder, or Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Common obsessive thoughts in OCD include: Fear of being contaminated by germs or dirt or contaminating others. Fear of losing control and harming yourself or others. Intrusive sexually explicit or violent thoughts and images. Excessive focus on religious or moral ideas.