W.H.O. publishes the 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases Manual (ICD-11)
On March 8th, 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) released the new manual providing clinical descriptions and diagnostic requirements for ICD-11 mental, behavioural and neurodevelopmental disorders added in ICD-11 (ICD-11 CDDR). The new diagnostic guidance, reflecting the updates to the ICD-11, includes the following features:
- Guidance on diagnosis for several new categories added in ICD-11, including complex post-traumatic stress disorder, gaming disorder and prolonged grief disorder. This enables improved support to health professionals to better recognize distinct clinical features of these disorders, which may previously have been undiagnosed and untreated.
- The adoption of a lifespan approach to mental, behavioral and neurological disorders, including attention to how disorders appearing in childhood, adolescence, and older adults.
- The provision of culture-related guidance for each disorder, including how disorder presentations may differ systematically by cultural background.
- The incorporation of dimensional approaches, for example in personality disorders, recognizing that many symptoms and disorders exist on a continuum with typical functioning.
World Health Organisation and EQUIP Program
The mission statement for the WCCBT includes the desire to work with compatible global organizations on shared goals and objectives. These organizations include the World Health Organization, the United Nations (in particular, groups such as UNESCO, UNICEF and the UNHCR), but could include other established groups and associations, with a focus on evidence- based practice in general and the promotion of CBT, in particular.
In the past year, the WCCBT has had discussions with the World Health Organization related to their work in the area of mental health and specifically about their EQUIP guidelines, which are intended to “Ensure Quality in Psychological Support.” For readers who are not familiar with this initiative, the EQUIP program is a “joint WHO/UNICEF project to improve the competence of helpers and the consistency and quality of training and service delivery.”
‘An introduction to the W.H.O-UNICEF Ensuring Quality in Psychosocial and Mental Health Support (EQUIP) Initiative’ – A WCCBT Webinar
Presented by: Dr. James Underhill, EQUIP Project Coordinator, Department of Mental Health and Substance Use, WHO
Moderated by: Dr. Lata McGinn, President, World Confederation of CBT