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ADHD glossary · Family perspectives

ICD-11: what the name means and what to ask

A WHO-attributed explanation of the ICD-11 name, plus a practical question card for a term you encounter in paperwork. No diagnosis, coding, or eligibility advice.

The World Health Organization identifies ICD-11 as the eleventh revision of its International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. [1] If you have encountered that name in a letter or conversation, our next step is practical: note where you saw it and ask the document's author what it means in that particular context.

By RDY Editorial · Prepared

General education and practical perspectives. Editorial standards.

At a glance

What it is
The eleventh revision of the classification named in WHO's overview. [1]
What it is not
A conclusion from RDY about you, a family member, a diagnosis, a bill, or a service entitlement.
Try next
Write down the document title, the unfamiliar term and one question for its author. You do not need to upload the document here.

Start with the source, then the specific document

WHO's overview is linked below for the classification's name. [1] We are not reproducing a diagnostic entry, interpreting a code, or describing which edition a particular country or organization uses. A page about the acronym cannot answer what a specific professional intended in a particular document.

Keep your question beside the original wording

Our proposed note has two separate lines: the wording you encountered and the question you want answered. For example, 'This letter mentions ICD-11. Which part of this letter does that refer to?' Leave unfamiliar wording unchanged while you seek an explanation, rather than substituting a meaning you found elsewhere.

A completed question card

Imagine a parent and a teen reading a letter together. The teen asks to begin with the sentence containing the unfamiliar acronym. The parent has a different question about whom to contact. Their note keeps both questions visible without filling in answers on the author's behalf. This is an invented communication example, not a description of a real record.

  • Document: the letter we are reading, with its date.
  • Term to ask about: ICD-11.
  • Teen's question: 'What does this sentence mean in ordinary words?'
  • Parent's question: 'Who can explain the reference in this letter?'
  • Sharing preference: discuss this together before forwarding the letter.
  • Next action: contact the author using the contact details we already have.

Do not turn a search result into a personal conclusion

This guide does not tell you that a code applies to someone or that a document establishes access to a service. Our suggestion is to keep those questions open and direct them to the relevant author or organization. If two documents use different wording, write down the difference rather than deciding here that one is wrong.

Keep the person represented in the conversation

If the paperwork is about someone else, ask which questions they want raised and what they want shared. A parent may be organizing the meeting while a young person wants to understand the words. A partner may offer to take notes without becoming the spokesperson. Those are different contributions; name them explicitly before the discussion.

RDY action

Make an unfamiliar-term question card

Use paper or a note you already control. RDY does not need the document or its contents for you to use this prompt.

  1. Write the document's title and date so you can find it again.
  2. Copy only the short term you want explained into your own private note.
  3. Write your question in plain language, leaving the answer blank.
  4. Invite the person concerned to add or change the question.
  5. Choose whom to ask and, afterward, record the answer separately from your earlier assumptions.

Check in: Can you tell which words came from the document, which came from you, and which answer came from its author?

Decide what fits

Do you only want to know what the acronym refers to?
Use the short attributed definition above and follow WHO's overview for the original classification information.
Do you want to interpret a code on a particular document?
This guide does not interpret codes. Ask the document's author which system and context they used.
Are you helping someone prepare a question?
Ask what they want to understand before writing on their behalf. Keep their question separate from your own.

Keep the scope clear

  • Do not use this guide to assign a diagnosis or code.
  • Do not infer a school's, insurer's, country's, or clinician's requirements from this page.
  • Avoid posting a letter or another person's details publicly to get an explanation.
  • The example is a proposed conversation structure, not advice about a medical or legal decision.

Different perspectives

The same situation can feel different depending on your place in the family. Start with the perspective that fits, and make room for the other person’s account.

person reading their paperwork

Your first question may be about the words, not about what someone else wants you to do next.

Try: Ask for one sentence to be explained before moving on.

child

You can ask a familiar adult about a word you do not understand.

Try: Point to the word or ask the adult to write your question down.

teen

You can choose how your question is phrased before a parent or another adult asks it.

Try: Write your own opening question and ask to hear the answer directly.

parent or caregiver

Organizing a document and interpreting it are different tasks.

Try: Bring the original wording and leave the interpretation question open.

sibling

You do not have to become the interpreter of someone else's paperwork.

Try: Offer a practical task only if you want to, such as finding a folder.

partner

An offer to take notes does not have to replace the person's own questions.

Try: Ask which part of the conversation they want you to record.

grandparent

An unfamiliar abbreviation is a reason to ask, not to assume it matches an older family document.

Try: Ask which document the person wants to discuss.

educator or other supporter

Keep a request for clarification focused on the information relevant to the agreed conversation.

Try: Ask who can explain the wording without requesting unrelated family documents.

Questions you may have

Does this page tell me which ICD edition my organization uses?

No. Ask that organization which edition and context it uses. We make no country-by-country implementation claim.

Can I find an ADHD diagnosis or code for a family member here?

No. RDY does not use this page to diagnose or assign codes. It explains the name and offers questions to ask.

Do I need to send RDY the document?

No. The question card works on paper or in your own note, and this public page asks for no document upload.

Evidence and limitations

WHO is the named source for the classification name and revision. The question card and family scene are RDY's proposed writing, not findings from WHO.

Limits: This guide does not reproduce diagnostic guidance or make claims about national adoption, professional obligations, payment, service eligibility, or an individual's situation.

Sources and what they support

These sources support the specific statements identified below. Our practical exercises are suggestions to consider, not evidence of a treatment effect.

  1. World Health Organization.

    International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) — World Health Organization

    Source type: intergovernmental classification overview.

    No single publication date is displayed for this evolving overview; access date is recorded separately. Accessed .

    Source check, September 5, 2026: Opened the current WHO overview on September 5, 2026 and checked the name of the classification and its eleventh revision. No national implementation, individual coding, diagnostic or treatment conclusion is reproduced here.

    Supports: The name of ICD and identification of ICD-11 as its eleventh revision. Not evidence for national use or any conclusion about an individual.

    Correction check: No correction notice was observed on the accessed overview. A dedicated retraction-database search was not performed.

Disclosures

  • Source-attributed terminology and a private question-organizing prompt; no medical or legal interpretation.

Updates and corrections

Published .

Found a factual error or something unclear? Use the contact route on our Trust page. Read our research method for the evidence approach.