Substance abuse is under Axis I as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR). This manual is published by the American Psychiatric Association and includes all currently recognized mental health disorders to be used by the correct doctors. The coding system utilized by the DSM-IV is designed to correspond with codes from the International Classification of Diseases, commonly referred to as the ICD. Axis I can refer to a mental health or substance abuse diagnosis that occurs as clinical disorders. These are commonly disease usually diagnosed in childhood (such as Attention Deficit Disorder), mood disorders (Depression, Bi-polar), disorders due to general medical conditions, dementia and cognitive disorders, etc. These disorders are distinguished from Axis II disorders (personality disorders, mental retardation). They are generally part of a 5-Axis Diagnosis which is used to provide information for potential courses of treatment for mental health/substance abuse issues. The Axis I diagnoses can also include the following: Disorders evident from infancy/childhood/adolescence. (ADHD< eating disorders, tourette's) , Organic Mental Disorders (Dementia arising from Alzheimer’s, basically anything that has a physical medical cause i.e. A brain tumour), Psychoactive Substance Use Disorders ( drug dependence), Psychosis (schizophrenia,) Mood Disorders ( depression, bi-polar disorder) Anxiety/ Neuroses ( panic disorder, phobias, OCD, PTSD,) Somatoform Disorders, Dissociative Disorders (Multiple Personality Disorder, psychogenic fugue), Sexual Disorders (exhibitionism, fetishism, etc) and Sleep Disorders. Axis I is used to classify clinical disorders and other issues warranting clinical attention such as when the client has a depression, an anxiety, a bipolar, a substance abuse, an adjustment disorder. When the client also has a personality disorder (or only a personality disorder) this is will be an Axis II diagnosis and it is usually V coded (since there is one providing for no diagnosis V71.09.)
