What is the difference between axis 1 and axis 2?

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders released by the American Psychiatric Association, axis 1 and axis 2 are the first two groups of this classification. Axis 1 disorders are mental disorders without the inclusion of mental retardation or personality disorder. The various mental disorders that are grouped under axis 1 are Substance-Related Disorders, Schizophrenia, and Other Psychotic Disorders, cognitive disorders such as dementia, delirium, amnestic.

Others are eating disorders, dissociative disorders, anxiety disorders, sleep disorders, factitious disorders, etc. On the other hand, axis 2 houses all kinds of personality disorders and mental retardation. The various mental disorders that are grouped under axis 2 include Schizotypal Personality Disorder, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Paranoid Personality Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder, Antisocial Personality Disorder, Histrionic Personality Disorder. While axis 1 disorders are correctable, though, with time, axis 2 disorders are very hard to correct. This is because most of them are conditions from childhood.

Mental and psychiatric disorders can affect a person's ability to do daily activities, such as eating or holding a conversation. In 1994, the American Psychiatrists Association classified these disorders into five axial systems. Two of those systems are axis 1 and axis 2. Axis 1 includes disorders that are psychological based.

These include disorders like eating, learning, anxiety, and mood disorders. Axis 2 includes conditions such as mental retardation and personality disorders. The difference between them is that conditions in Axis 2 are not cured, but those in Axis 1. Disorders in Axis 1 are temporary, while conditions in Axis 2 are lifelong.

Axis 1 and axis 2 are two out of the five multi-axial systems under which mental or psychiatric disorders are classified. This classification was done by the American Psychiatrists Association in 1994. Mental or psychiatric disorders that are psychological, such as anxiety disorders, eating disorders, mood disorders, learning disorders, cognitive disorders, are usually grouped under axis 1, and this doesn't include mental retardation and personality disorders.

On the other hand, axis 2 doesn't deal with Axis 2 but personality disorders and mental retardation. Axis 2 enlists conditions that have become part of someone and can't be easily cured because they are resistant to treatments. In contrast, Axis 1 conditions can still be cured if serious treatment is given because they are usually temporary conditions.

Those who are suffering from certain conditions under Axis 2 usually find it difficult to blend with certain societal rules or laws because of some problems in their social skills.