Mood and anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorders but psychiatrists remain divided as to how to define and classify them.
Definitions in the upcoming Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-V), the “gold standard” reference book for psychiatrists will have at least have the benefit of high quality longitudinal data.
Ian Colman, Ph.D., lead author of “A Longitudinal Typology of Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety Over the Life Course”, notes, “Rarely have classification systems in psychiatry considered the nature of symptoms of depression and anxiety over time; however research into trajectories of alcohol abuse and antisocial behaviour shows that accounting for symptoms over time may help in better understanding causes and outcomes of these disorders.”