Diagnostic systems
The diagnostic systems contain lists of all the diseases that we know of. There are two official diagnostic systems, ICD (an abbreviation for International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems)-10 and DSM (an abbreviation for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)-IV-TR, which both contain the criteria for psychiatric diseases. In the Philippines, both diagnostic systems are used. In Europe, the official system is ICD-10, while DSM-IV is the official system in the USA. Diagnoses are working tools that are continuously being improved and developed. The ICD is on its 10th version while the DSM is on its 4th version.
ICD-10
The World Health Organization (WHO) has, for many years, administered and published the ICD. ICD-10 contains all official psychiatric diagnoses. All doctors use them in medical certificates. Diagnoses which are related are bracketed together in the diagnostic system. There is among others a diagnostic group in ICD-10 that is called "affective mental disorders," which include the different forms of depression. Affect is a designation that covers both your momentary mood and your average mood over a period of time. In affective mental disorders, the mood changes are so severe and prolonged that they inhibit your enjoyment of life. The affective mental disorders are divided into a series of diagnoses. It is necessary to divide the affective mental disorders, as depression presents in different ways. Different types of depression require different types of treatment and preventive measures.