The ICD-11 is coming to town! Educational needs, paradigm shifts and innovations in mental health care practice

Abstract

This article focus on educational needs, paradigm shifts and innovations in mental health care practice. In psychiatric practice, classification systems are useful to improve communication among mental health professionals and researchers and to establish widely agreed descriptions of mental disorders, and should not be considered textbooks of psychopathology. A clear and straightforward classification system can help clinicians to communicate diagnosis to patients and their family members, and to reduce stigma attached to mental disorders. Finally, diagnostic systems facilitate the identification and management of mental disorders in clinical settings and have a significant predictive power. The adoption of this new classification system will represent a major change in psychiatric clinical practice worldwide. There is the need to promote educational activities in order to improve the dissemination of this innovative classification approach and to contribute to the continuous education of mental health care professionals. The EPA is committed to do so through its official channels, such as Scientific Sections, National Psychiatric Associations, and the Committees on Education and on Publications. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)