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Background: The 12 anxiety disorders which were defined in the DSM-IV, have been increased to 27 disorders in the DSM-5. These 27 disorders have been subdivided into three chapters: 1. anxiety disorders, 2. obsessive-compulsive and related disorders (OCRD) and 3. trauma and stressor-related disorders., Aim: To describe the most important differences between the DSM-IV and DSM-5 classifications of the above-mentioned disorders., Method: Survey of the relevant literature., Results: Within the chapter on anxiety disorders in DSM-5 the classifications of 'panic disorder' and 'agoraphobia' have been separated. In addition, DSM-5 allows the specification 'with panic attacks' to be applied to all psychiatric disorders. New additions to the group ocrd are: 'trichotillomania' and 'body dysmorphic disorder'. Also newly added to the group are the new classifications 'excoriation disorder' and 'hoarding disorder'. The DSM-IV group of adjustment disorders has been merged with the group of stress disorders. In accordance with the system adopted elsewhere in DSM-5, the disorders which are 'usually first diagnosed in infancy, childhood and adolescence' and which resemble the disorders defined in the three chapters have been added to these chapters. Two extra categories are defined in each of the three chapters., Conclusion: The three chapters in DSM-5 are little more than a re-arrangement of the disorders defined in DSM-IV. The revision has not led to any clarification of or insight into the relationship between and the etiology of these disorders.

Background: Clinicians need to be well informed about staging and profiling so that they can divide patients with anxiety disorders into groups according to the phase and severity of their illness. The group to which the patient is assigned determines the types of treatment he or she receives., Aim: To investigate ways in which clinicians can be helped to apply staging and profiling procedures to patients with anxiety disorders., Method: We searched the literature for articles about the staging and profiling of anxiety disorders., Results: There seems to be practically no literature relating to the staging and profiling of anxiety disorders. However, in daily practice clinicians do attempt to classify their patients and use forms of staging when deciding on special types of treatment for their patients and when assessing the length of treatment required. The revised Dutch guidelines on anxiety disorders include a generalised form of staging, called ‘stepped care’. These revisions have been made on the basis of consensus decisions reached by the guideline committee., Conclusion: The revised guidelines on anxiety disorders assist clinicians with the application of staging in their daily practice. However, because of the lack of scientific data, our article closes with the presentation of a research agenda.