Towards a joint classification of neurological and psychiatric disorders
IMPACT:
“Towards a joint classification of neurological and psychiatric disorders” highlights the growing recognition that neurological and psychiatric disorders share biological mechanisms, symptoms, and clinical features, supporting a more integrated approach to psychiatric and neurological disorders. The authors propose the World Health Organization (WHO) draft a merged chapter of the nervous system in the 12th version of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), creating a unified classification framework for conditions in which immune, neurological, cognitive, and psychiatric features overlap.
SUMMARY
The Lancet commentary, “Towards a joint classification of neurological and psychiatric disorders,” brings attention to the traditional separation of neurology and psychiatry as inconsistent with modern neuroscience and clinical practice. The authors share that neurological and psychiatric disorders frequently overlap and share underlying mechanisms, symptoms, and clinical features. They highlight several limitations of the current classification system, such as:
- neurological disorders can include prominent psychiatric symptoms
- psychiatric disorders can have identifiable biological and structural abnormalities
- neurological and psychiatric conditions may involve genetic, immune, and other biological factors.
Conditions such as autoimmune encephalitis, functional neurological disorder, dementia, and Tourette syndrome illustrate the overlap between the two disciplines.
The authors propose merging the neurological and psychiatric chapters of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) into a single chapter focused on the nervous system, brain, and mind. By highlighting the close relationship between psychiatry and neurology, the authors show how an integrated classification would promote collaboration, improve recognition of psychiatric and cognitive manifestations of neurological disease, and encourage a holistic, comprehensive care for patients.
LINK TO PAPER: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)01498-4/abstract
CITATION
White P, Nicholson T, Stone J et al.
Towards a joint classification of neurological and psychiatric disorders
The Lancet, 2026; 0
DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(26)01498-4