How well do the DSM-5 alcohol use disorder designations map to the ICD-10 disorders?

Background: The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5), and the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th edition (ICD-10), both establish diagnostic criteria for alcohol use disorders. The dimensional severity perspective provided by the DSM-5 may overlap in important ways but also may diverge from the categorical harmful use versus dependence designations presented by the ICD-10. It is especially important to consider the convergence of these 2 diagnostic approaches as the DSM is widely used by clinicians, but the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has recently required that providers bill for services using the ICD-10 designations.

Methods: Data from 6,871 male and 801 female admissions to a state prison system were used to compare the DSM-5 severity index for alcohol use disorder to the ICD-10 clinical and research formulations for harmful use and dependence.

Results: The DSM-5 and the ICD-10 were highly convergent for the most severe alcohol use disorders and also for those who did not receive a diagnosis. Most DSM-5 moderate alcohol use disorder cases were classified as dependence cases under both the clinical and research ICD criteria. In contrast, there was much more variation in the DSM mild cases. These were divided into categories of harmful use or misuse, depending on whether the clinical or research ICD criteria were applied. Results were similar among male and female inmates.

Conclusions: The DSM-5 and ICD-10 exhibit a high level of agreement for cases that would not receive a diagnosis as well as the most severe cases. However, there are important distinctions to be made between the 2 approaches for mild and moderate DSM disorders in addition to harmful use/misuse cases in the ICD. The cases influenced by these discrepancies are most likely to be affected by recently implemented service provider billing practices.