Disadvantages Of The Dsm-5 Essay

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is a very useful and important tool for healthcare professionals in the United States and much of the world. It is used as a guide in diagnosing mental disorders. The DSM not only provides descriptions, symptoms and other criteria that may be important in diagnosing mental disorders, it also provides a common language for clinicians to use and reliability in diagnosing which can be further used in the research of mental disorders. The DSM is often reviewed and revised due to new research and clinical information about mental disorders that were not previously known. The DSM is revised by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) with a research evaluation that includes a series of papers and 13 scientific conferences supported by the National Institutes of Health. This evaluation brought together almost 400 international scientists and produced a series of peer reviewed journal articles. The DSM-5 task force and work groups, which were made up of more than 160 world renowned clinicians and researchers. The APA board of Trustees is who approves the final criteria for the DSM-5 with an appointed scientific review committee of mental health experts to review and provide guidance on the strengths and weaknesses of evidence of proposed changes. They evaluated the strengths of evidence based on a specific template of validators.

It includes a more developmental focus, new diagnostic criteria, an increased emphasis on culture and gender, a section that requires further research, and an inclusion of International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes. For the purpose of this paper I will be focusing more on the controversial aspects of some of the diagnostic criteria changes in bipolar disorder, specifically pediatric bipolar, and referencing the addition of the disruptive mood dysregulation disorder