<P> DSM - IV Codes are the classification found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, Text Revision, also known as DSM - IV - TR, a manual published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) that includes all currently recognized mental health disorders . The DSM - IV codes are thus used by mental health professionals to describe the features of a given mental disorder and indicate how the disorder can be distinguished from other, similar problems . </P> <P> The coding system utilized by the DSM - IV is designed to correspond with codes from the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification, commonly referred to as the ICD - 9 - CM . Since early versions of the DSM did not correlate with ICD codes and updates of the publications for the ICD and the DSM are not simultaneous, some distinctions in the coding systems may still be present . For this reason, it is recommended that users of these manuals consult the appropriate reference when accessing diagnostic codes </P> <P> Note that NOS is an abbreviation for Not Otherwise Specified, indicating a cluster of symptoms that do not clearly fit in any single diagnostic category . NOS is often a provisional diagnosis pending additional information or testing . </P> <P> For an alphabetical list, see DSM - IV Codes (alphabetical). </P>

What is a provisional diagnosis in the dsm iv