Axis IV and Axis V: Assessment of Persons With Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities
Anne DesNoyers Hurley, Ph.D.

The application of Axis IV and V to patients with mental retardation and developmental disabilities requires a contextual judgment of each patient's circumstances relative to developmental delay and dependence of caregivers. There are no established standards for this population, and a model that supports separating the impairments of the disability from those imposed by a comorbid psychiatric disorder is proposed.