Classifying mental and neurological conditions together: authors’ reply to letters

[...]we propose a change in every doctor's understanding of disorders of the brain, however they were previously labelled. 1 The views expressed by the five senior officers of the Royal College of Psychiatrists were disappointing, 4 not least when a previous college president shared our concern...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMJ (Online) 2012-07, Vol.345 (jul23 2), p.e4906-e4906
Main Authors: White, P D, Rickards, H, Zeman, A Z J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Central Nervous System Diseases - classification
Humans
Medicine
Mental disorders
Mental Disorders - classification
Mental health care
Psychiatry
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:[...]we propose a change in every doctor's understanding of disorders of the brain, however they were previously labelled. 1 The views expressed by the five senior officers of the Royal College of Psychiatrists were disappointing, 4 not least when a previous college president shared our concerns. 5 Bailey's solution of dual classification is liable to sow confusion, as we exemplified in our article, 1 and to delay an overdue shift in attitudes to disorders of mind and brain. The resulting change in professional attitudes, more frequent interchange of students and trainees between mental health and medicine, and the wider adoption of a biopsychosocial model of illness would enhance the quality of care provided by all healthcare professionals.
ISSN:0959-8138
1756-1833
1756-1833
DOI:10.1136/bmj.e4906