%0 Journal Article
%T Externalising and emotional categories, diagnostic groups and clinical profiles
%A Graham W Mellsop
%A Alison Bower
%A Sandra L Baxendine
%J International Journal of Mental Health Systems
%D 2010
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1752-4458-4-20
%X The distributions of HoNOS derived information in relation to the proposed clusters of emotional disorders and extrinsic disorders are examined.Statistically significant differences in profiles between the emotional and the externalising groupings are consistent with the proposed classification development. The HoNOS (Health of Nation Outcome Scale) measures of self harm, depression, aggression, occupational/leisure problems and drug and alcohol consumption are the five most significant discriminators between the two groups.The details of the profile differences within the two over arching groups suggest that further examination is required. Useful work could include examination in credibly large and unselected patient populations of the factor structure demonstrated in non patient samples. Prospective comprehensive trials of the contributions the proposed classification could make to clinical decision making would also help illuminate this area.In this period of development of new versions of the International Classification of Diseases (replacing 10th Edition) and of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (replacing DSM-IV TR) there is much debate about the utility and validity of their present overall structures [1-10]. Some have proposed that validity gains can be achieved by subsuming many of the present affective, neurotic, personality and substance abuse categories into two over-arching groups, externalising and emotional disorders [11-15]. While earlier publications had spoken of "internalising" disorders, the name for this group has evolved to "emotional". "Internalising" suggested too strongly an aetiological implication, which might be particularly misunderstood by the broader, non-clinician, community. "Emotional" has a credible history as a classificatory term.The five proposed contributory disorders for the externalising group are alcohol related disorders, drug disorders, anti-social personality disorder, borderl
%U http://www.ijmhs.com/content/4/1/20