Revision of the classification of mental disorders in ICD–11 and DSM–V: work in progress

Summary This editorial summarises the work done to prepare ICD–11 and DSM–V (which should be published in 2015 and 2013 respectively). It gives a brief description of the structures that have been put in place by the World Health Organization and by the American Psychiatric Association and lists the issues and challenges that face the two organisations on their road to the revisions of the classifications. These include dilemmas about the ways of presentation of the revisions (e.g. whether dimensions should be added to categories or even replace them), about different versions of the classifications (e.g. the primary care and research versions), about ways to ensure that the best of evidence as well as experience are taken into account in drafting the revision and many other issues that will have to be resolved in the immediate future.