Utility of Icd-9 for Indian Patients : an Opinion Survey

It is common place to criticize classifications and plead for changes in the existing ones. Ideally, this should be backed by an organised attempt at pooling information and views about existing classification rather than by individual predilections or anecdotal sources. This is possible only after a good number of qualified personnel have used a given system for sufficient amount of time in diverse settings. The 9th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (WHO 1978) has been in use for about seven years now and like its predecessor, will probably be in use for a decade. The Indian psychiatrists have had a fair degree of experience with this and an evaluation of its utility for classifying patients seen in this part of the world seems due.