The new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) has been officially released amidst major controversy. It is an update on the previous 1994 classification of mental illnesses. The fifth edition of the Manual, intended as a guide to assist clinicians diagnose and treat mental disorders, has received much criticism from the medical community and public
alike. The Manual is divided into three sections: Overall the DSM-5 retains the same number of mental disorders, however some disorders have been combined with others to form a spectrum, while other disorders have been separated out from
existing disorders to stand alone. A few new disorders have also been added to the Manual. Examples of some of the major changes include: One of the main criticisms of the DSM-5 is that diagnostic thresholds have been lowered across the board, making it easier to diagnose a person with a mental disorder and pathologizing normal emotional reactions. For example, bereavement is now classified as a mental disorder. Previously, bereavement could only be considered a depressive disorder after a two month period had elapsed; the two-month period has since been recognized as unsubstantiated and arbitrary. Under DSM-5, the two-month bereavement exclusion has been removed and bereavement is now recognized as a severe psychosocial stressor that can cause a major depressive episode in vulnerable individuals. Advocates for the DSM-5 feel that the inclusion of bereavement as a mental disorder is helpful and draws attention to the fact that symptoms associated with bereavement-related depression respond to the same psychosocial and medication treatments as non–bereavement-related depression. Furthermore, a detailed footnote has been included in this section to assist clinicians in differentiating between bereavement and a major depressive episode. In general, proponents of the DSM-5 defend the manual stating that, “the DSM-5 reflects (current) knowledge, (and is) not creating knowledge.” There are many articles that can be read for greater detail. One of them is, “DSM-5 Released: The Big Changes” available on the World of Psychology website. Another interesting perspective is the Globe and Mail article, “When did life itself become a treatable mental disorder?”. DSMV21-e1370447435781–400x250.png If you are a psychology student, it is impossible that you did not hear about the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). As you probably already know, the DSM is a diagnostic manual that offers standard criteria for the classification of mental disorders. It is widely used by health professionals, researchers, counselors, psychologists, and psychiatrists. For each disorder, there is a set of diagnostic criteria with specific symptoms that characterize the disorder. The DSM is published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and was originally published in 1952. The DSM is now in its fifth edition (DSM-5) and the DSM-5 was published in 2013. As you might have guessed, classification of mental disorders is very important. Without a manual that guides health professionals to the same diagnostic processes, two different health professionals might come up with two different diagnoses. It would be hard to judge who is right. In this sense, the DSM-5 offers a wide range of benefits. However, there are many criticisms made about the DSM-5 and in this blog post, I wish to examine these criticisms to convey some of the benefits and limitations of the DSM-5. Because of limited space, I will only mention five different criticisms and I will provide five short answers to respond to these criticisms. All the information below is supported by the article Criticisms, Limitations, and Benefits of the DSM-5 by Timothy Thomason. First, one might criticize that the diagnosis of mental disorders is too subjective. For example, to make a diagnosis, health professionals often rely on patients’ self-reports of their conditions. This is indeed true but some subjectivity is expected as psychopathology does not contain any biomarkers. Mental disorders comprise of conditions that are not necessarily observable or measurable. It is expected that with further research on the etiology of mental disorders, diagnosis will become more objective. Next, one might argue that the diagnosis of mental disorders is based on symptoms, not causes of the disorders. To this criticism, the answer is quite simple. This is because often of the case, causes of the disorders are unknown. In addition, knowing the cause of the disorder is not always necessary to treat the person. Furthermore, another criticism is that there is evidence of social pressure or other social factors influencing the process of writing the DSM. For example, previously, homosexuality used to be considered a mental disorder but then, it got removed from the DSM. This is partially due to the fact that the definition of “disorder” depends on social opinions. The influence that social pressure or social factors has on the manual is inevitable. On top of that, another criticism is that diagnostic labels hurt people. This is not necessarily true as some people feel relieved to learn that there is a name and treatment for their conditions. Also, there is research that shows that people with mental disorders experience stigma not because of the diagnostic label, but because of their behavior that appears bizarre to other people. Lastly, one might argue that the DSM-5 is not an improvement of the DSM-4. It is safe to conclude that this is false because the manual was re-organized to better define mental disorders, to answer to gender and cultural issues, and to introduce a dimensional approach to diagnosis. In conclusion, I mentioned few criticisms that are present against the DSM-5. It is true that the DSM-5 is not perfect and it is possible that the APA will publish other editions to the DSM. However, the criticisms are minor and without major negative consequences. Even though the DSM-5 contains benefits and limitations, currently, it is the only diagnostic manual that is widely used. If you wish to learn about other criticisms that are present, I highly recommend you to read the article Criticisms, Limitations, and Benefits of the DSM-5 by Timothy Thomason. Reference: Timothy Thomason. “Criticisms, Limitations, and Benefits of the DSM-5” Arizona Counselling Journal (2014) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/timothy_thomason/117/ Jimin Lew (260633990) What are some major criticisms of the DSM?There are two main interrelated criticisms of DSM-5: an unhealthy influence of the pharmaceutical industry on the revision process.. Asperger's syndrome.. Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder.. Mild cognitive disorder.. Generalised anxiety disorder.. Major depressive disorder.. What is one criticism of the DSM?Critics of DSM-5 argue that the expansion of diagnostic criteria may increase the number of “mentally ill” individuals and/or pathologize “normal” behavior, and lead to the possibility that thousands-if not millions-of new patients will be exposed to medications which may cause more harm than good.
What is one of the criticisms of DSM five section on disorders of childhood?Its critics warned that DSM-5 would lead to the further overdiagnosis of children and adults. The Economist reported that 11 per cent of American school-age children have been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and that DSM-5 would likely lead to even more ADHD diagnoses.
Which of these was one of the biggest controversies in writing the DSMDSM-5 Controversies: Autism, ODD, Bipolar
There was a big public outcry when four separate autistic disorders that had been listed in the fourth edition of the DSM, including Asperger's syndrome, were combined into a single illness, autism spectrum disorder, for the DSM-5.
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What is one of the most significant criticisms that has been made against the DSM?
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