Child and adolescent mental health – a guide for healthcare professionals
June 2006
Appendix 1
Multiaxial classification of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders
[Go to note 14]
The psychiatric sections of the tenth revision of the WHO International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) are arranged in a multiaxial form, with descriptions grouped into axes that have been chosen to provide unambiguous information of maximum clinical usefulness in the greatest number of cases.
Axis One: Clinical psychiatric syndromes
| XX | No psychiatric disorder |
| F84 | Pervasive developmental disorders |
| F90 – F98 | Behavioural and emotional disorders with onset usually occurring in childhood or adolescence |
| F00 – F09 | Organic, including symptomatic, mental disorders |
| F10 – F19 | Mental and behavioural disorders due to psychoactive substance use |
| F20 – F29 | Schizophrenia, schizotypal and delusional disorders |
| F30 – F39 | Mood [affective] disorders |
| F40 – F48 | Neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disorders |
| F50 – F59 | Behavioural syndromes associated with physiological disturbances and physical factors |
| F60 – F69 | Disorders of adult personality and behaviour |
| F99 | Unspecified mental disorder and problems falling short of criteria for any specified mental disorder |
Axis Two: Specific disorders of psychological development
| XX | No specific disorder of psychological development |
| F80 | Specific developmental disorders of speech and language |
| F81 | Specific developmental disorders of scholastic skills |
| F82 | Specific developmental disorder of motor function |
| F83 | Mixed specific developmental disorders |
| F88 | Other disorders of psychological development |
| F89 | Unspecified disorder of psychological development |
Axis Three: Intellectual level
| XX | Intellectual level within the normal range |
| F70 | Mild mental retardation |
| F71 | Moderate mental retardation |
| F72 | Severe mental retardation |
| F73 | Profound mental retardation |
| F78 | Other mental retardation |
| F79 | Unspecified mental retardation |
Axis Four: Medical conditions from ICD-10 often associated with mental and behavioural disorders
This axis covers other medical conditions that are often found in association with mental health disorders in children and adolescents.
Axis Five: Associated abnormal psychosocial situations
| 00 | No significant distortion or inadequacy of the psychosocial environment |
| 1 | Abnormal intrafamilial relationships |
| 2 | Mental disorder, deviance or handicap in the child’s primary support group |
| 3 | Inadequate or distorted intrafamilial communication |
| 4 | Abnormal qualities of upbringing |
| 5 | Abnormal immediate environment |
| 6 | Acute life events |
| 7 | Societal stressors |
| 8 | Chronic interpersonal stress associated with school/work |
| 9 | Stressful events/situations resulting from the child’s own disorder/disability |
Axis Six: Global assessment of psychosocial disability
| 0 | Superior/good social functioning |
| 1 | Moderate social functioning |
| 2 | Slight social disability |
| 3 | Moderate social disability |
| 4 | Serious social disability |
| 5 | Serious and pervasive social disability |
| 6 | Unable to function in most areas |
| 7 | Gross and pervasive social disability |
| 8 | Profound and pervasive disability |