In its current form, DSM-III is of only limited value to family therapists. The authors suggest several innovations that might render future nomenclatures more useful. Axis II ratings that are interpersonal and dimensional, rather than individual and categorical, might provide important additional data for predicting and planning a family intervention. Several available family classifications suggest ways in which to derive an axis VI rating of family functioning. The authors address a number of conceptual issues that make family classification especially interesting and difficult.
