24 Use of the Manual
ment tools, a cultural formul ation interview, and conditions  for further study included in
Section III are those for which we determined that the scientific evidence is not yet avail-
able to support widespread clinical use. These diagnostic aids and criteria are included to
highlight the evolution and direction of scientif ic advances in these areas and to stimulate
further research.
Each of the measures in Section III is provi ded to aid in a compre hensive assessment of
individuals that will contribute to a diagnosi s and treatment plan tailored to the individ-
ual presentation and clinical context. Where cultural dynamics are particularly important
for diagnostic assessment, the cultural formulation interview should be considered as a
useful aid to communication with the individual. Cross-cutting symptom and diagnosis-
specific severity measures provide quantitative  ratings of important clinical areas that are
designed to be used at the initial evaluation to establish a baseline for comparison with rat-
ings on subsequent encounters to monito r changes and inform treatment planning.
The use of such measures will undoubtedly be facilitated by digital applications, and
the measures are included in Section III to provide for further evaluation and develop-
ment. As with each DSM edition, the diagnostic criteria and the DSM-5 classification of
mental disorders reflect the current consensu s on the evolving knowledge in our field.