"DSM-IV: International Version" is identical in content to the standard DSM-IV except for its use of "International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems", tenth revision (ICD-10), diagnostic codes in place of those based on "International Classification of Diseases", ninth revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes. The purpose of establishing "DSM-IV: International Version" is for the convenience of users in those countries that have adopted ICD-10 as the official coding system for reporting purposes. Two additional appendices are also provided. Revised and redefined, "DSM-IV" represents the first complete change in DSM in 13 years. It is a valuable reference for all mental health professionals, lawyers and other medical professionals. The special new features of DSM include a number of factors. Among these are the quality and diversity of the participants in its development - for example, over 1000 national and international researchers and clinicians across a wide range of mental and general health fields participated in an open process. The manual aims to offer increased clarity, specificity and clinical utility; an increased emphasis on the influence of culture and ethnicity on pyschiatric assessment and diagnosis; an increased emphasis on the role of substance use and general medical conditions in the developemnt of psychiatric disorders; and finally, an increased stress is laid upon how development across the life span influences the presentation and assessment of psychiatric disorders.