The World Health Organisation

1. The World Health Organisation (WHO) defined a system for classifying mental disorders: the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), together with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), it forms the standards for diagnosing mental disorders.
2. ICD does not try to define a delusion. Its guidance appears to assume a delusion has already been identified. DSM does define a delusion: it requires a person first be shown clearly the conclusions he has reached are wrong. Please read our page on the APA for a more complete description.
3. I wrote to Dr Kluge, Director of the WHO in Europe, to confirm diagnosis of a delusion requires a person first be told why the conclusions he has reached are wrong. The WHO confirmed it does.
4. After DSMV altered DSMIV's definition of a delusion (as described here), I again wrote to Dr Kluge, asking if the WHO continued to hold to the definition of DSMIV rather than that of DSMV. I have not received a response.
5. There exists no valid diagnosis of me, regardless of the definition adopted (DSMIV or DSMV), nevertheless, as mentioned on our section on the APA, the changes to the definition are important and troubling.