High prevalence estimates in epidemiological surveys have led to concerns that the DSM system is overly inclusive & that mild cases should be excluded from future DSM editions. This article demonstrates that DSM-III-R disorders can be placed on a severity gradient that has a dose-response relationship with outcomes assessed a decade later, & that no inflection point exists at the mild severity level. Outcomes discussed include suicide attempts, which (along with other outcomes) were found to be associated with statistically significantly elevated risk compared with baseline noncases. Implications are discussed. (37 refs)