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Classificatory Systems and Gender

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Mental Health and Illness of Women

Part of the book series: Mental Health and Illness Worldwide ((MHIW))

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Abstract

Classificatory and diagnostic systems play an important role in helping clinicians make treatment decisions, communicating with each other, supporting medical education, and conducting research. Gender influences multiple aspects of psychopathology, help-seeking, social support, economic status, cultural expectations, and factors such as vulnerability to discrimination and violence. It is therefore essential for the DSM and ICD nosological systems to become gender sensitive. Gender differences are seen in prevalence, risk factors, course, and prognosis of psychiatric illness. The recent revisions in the diagnostic systems have tried to address some of these issues; however, there is still an opportunity to use better gender-sensitive approaches in the classificatory systems. As we move toward newer paradigms in classification, from a descriptive to an etiological approach, we have opportunities to include biological aspects of gender, that is, sex, as well. Various approaches in classification varying from a gender-neutral approach to providing differing diagnostic thresholds for men and women, using diagnostic specifiers, or having gender-specific diagnosis can improve care for both genders. In this chapter, we discuss various gender-based approaches that classificatory systems have used and make suggestions for better classification of psychiatric disorders in women’s mental health based on the influence of gender on psychiatric illness.

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Abbreviations

ADHD:

Attention deficit hyperactive disorder

AN:

Anorexia nervosa

ASD:

Autism spectrum disorders

BPAD:

Bipolar affective disorder

BPD:

Borderline personality disorder

cPTSD:

Complex post-traumatic stress disorder

DSM:

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

ICD:

International Classification of Diseases

ID:

Intellectual disability

LLPDD:

Late Luteal phase dysphoric disorder

MAD:

Mixed anxiety-depression

MDD:

Major depressive disorder

PMDD:

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, India

    Soumya Parameshwaran & Prabha S. Chandra

Authors
  1. Soumya Parameshwaran
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  2. Prabha S. Chandra
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Prabha S. Chandra .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, India

    Prabha S. Chandra

  2. Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

    Helen Herrman

  3. Global and Women’s Health Unit School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Jane Fisher

  4. University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland

    Anita Riecher-Rössler

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Parameshwaran, S., Chandra, P.S. (2020). Classificatory Systems and Gender. In: Chandra, P., Herrman, H., Fisher, J., Riecher-Rössler, A. (eds) Mental Health and Illness of Women. Mental Health and Illness Worldwide. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-2369-9_34

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