ABOUT THE BOOK

The book you are holding is the first systematic account of modern standards of clinical psychiatry in the Azerbaijani language. It is built on the eleventh revision of the International Classification of Diseases (WHO, 2019, effective 2022 — ICD-11) and integrates its structure, diagnostic criteria and treatment approaches into the Azerbaijani clinical tradition and the post-Soviet school of psychiatry.

The book has been prepared as a reference guide for the practising clinician — psychiatrist, psychotherapist, neurologist, primary care physician, clinical psychologist, final-year medical students and residents.

Why ICD-11?

World Health Organization (WHO) adopted ICD-11 in 2019 and its official implementation began in 2022. In the chapter on mental disorders, ICD-11 brought deep shifts of paradigm:

• Complex PTSD (6B41) – new official diagnosis;
• Prolonged grief disorder (6B42) – new official diagnosis;
• The move from a categorical to a dimensional system of personality disorders — the central conceptual change;
• Replacement of the somatoform disorders by bodily distress disorder (6C20);
• Removal of gender incongruence from the psychiatric chapter;
• Gaming disorder (6C51) as an official diagnosis;
• Compulsive sexual behaviour disorder (6C72) — a new category;
• Reclassification of ADHD into the neurodevelopmental group;
• Placement of hypochondriasis among the obsessive-compulsive and related disorders;
• The abolition of the organic/functional dichotomy.

These changes require reassessment in both nosology and treatment standards.

Structure and features of the book

Organization of chapters

Each clinical chapter consists of 11 sections:

1. Definition and nosology — essence of the disorder, ICD-11 updates;
2. History — transition from classic conceptualization to modern;
3. Epidemiology — prevalence, sex, age, comorbidity;
4. Aetiology and pathogenesis — biological, psychological and social factors, the Popov–Vid approach;
5. Clinical features — symptoms, course, clinical forms;
6. Diagnosis — unified diagnostic criteria (DSM-5-TR · ICD-11), source-specific clarifications, diagnostic algorithm, differential diagnosis table;
7. Examination and assessment — clinical interview, screening scales, laboratory;
8. Treatment — general strategy, phased approach, psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, specific clinical situations;
9. Prognosis — course, monitoring, outcome;
10. Myths and misconceptions — the common claim, why it persists, the evidence, the real clinical step;
11. Sources — ICD-11 CDDR 2024, APA, NICE, WFSBP, ISTSS, ISSTD and other international guidelines.

Terminology

Psychiatric terminology has been systematized in Azerbaijani. Many terms present adaptations from classical Russian-Soviet psychiatry, as psychiatric education in Azerbaijan has traditionally been shaped in Russian. International terms are given in English in square brackets for terminological clarity.

Integration of the Popov-Vid school

Yu.V. Popov and V.D. Vid ‘Modern Clinical Psychiatry’ (Современная клиническая психиатрия) (St. Petersburg: Rech, 2006, 2nd ed.) — is a classic textbook of post-Soviet clinical psychiatry. Their approach — classical nosology, biopsychosocial model, practical clinical approach — is integrated into this book wherever it agrees with the modern international guidelines. Where differences exist (e.g., ICD-11 dimensional personality model), this is explicitly indicated.

Treatment standards

For the treatment of each disorder, reference is made to international guidelines:

• APA (American Psychiatric Association) Clinical Practice Guidelines;
• NICE (UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence)
• WFSBP (World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry)
• CANMAT / ISBD (Bipolar disorder);
• ISTSS (International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies)
• ISSTD (International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation)
• AACAP (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry);
• National drug registries and instructions.

Medication names are given both under the International Nonproprietary Name (INN) and under the brand name — because medications in the Azerbaijani market are mostly known by their brand names.

Azerbaijani clinical context

Wherever appropriate, notes specific to the Azerbaijani context are given:

• Issues of application in primary healthcare;
• Cultural characteristics and stigma;
• Legal-ethical frameworks;
• Limitation of available resources;
• Trauma disorders in veterans of the Karabakh War;
• Validated instruments in Azerbaijani language.

Scales and instruments

Appendix B presents the most used screening and assessment tools as full text (free license) or description (commercial).

How to use the book

Practical flow for the clinician:

1. Diagnostic question — find the corresponding chapter through the ICD-11 code search;
2. Diagnostic criteria — see Section 6 (CDDR + ICD-10 + DSM-5-TR comparison);
3. Differential — Section 6 table;
4. Examination plan — Section 7, scales and laboratory;
5. Treatment planning — Section 8;
6. Prognosis and monitoring — Section 9.

In training:

• Not chronological reading, but by topic;
• Each chapter is independent, but similar chapters reference each other;
• Scales in appendices are ready for practice.

For the researcher:

• The references section of each chapter is a list of contemporary international research articles;
• The History section follows nosological evolution.

Responsibility note (disclaimer)

This book is a practical reference guide. Concrete clinical decisions should always be made considering the individual patient's condition, comorbidities, treatment response, and latest medical evidence. The book is a scientific source and guide – it does not replace individual medical advice. Drug doses and specific protocols should be checked against locally approved information.

Thanks

This book was written to support the development of modern psychiatry in Azerbaijan. My thanks go to the World Health Organization team behind the CDDR — the ICD-11 Clinical Descriptions and Diagnostic Requirements; to the specialists who write the international clinical guidelines; to the post-Soviet psychiatric tradition of Popov and Vid; and to my colleagues in Azerbaijan.

The book is prepared in an open-source spirit and will continue to evolve. Reviews, notes, and suggestions will be considered in subsequent editions.