Dsm-5 Disadvantages

The Challenges with The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, also known as the DSM, is a reference book that is commonly used by Psychiatrists to determine the diagnosis of their patients. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual was created in 1952 and has been revised multiple times (Doucette, 10). Although this manual has been around for more then half a century, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual should no longer be used by Psychiatrists to diagnose or treat patients as it is very generic. When the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual was created, there were two volumes that attempted to categorize every mental illness in an organized way (Malik and Beutler, Preface). The two volumes of the Diagnostic

“Moreover, a significant concern arising from the DSM-5 is that the threshold for meeting criteria for many psychiatric disorders (eg, conduct disorder, major depression, substance use disorders) have been relaxed, such that many more people in the community will qualify for these diagnoses” (George). More people are qualifying for different mental disorders. Compared to the DSM-IV, the DSM-V qualifications for diseases are lowered. This over diagnosis is resulting in unnecessary medication for patients (George). While every patient should be treated, patients who would not have been qualified for major depression in the DSM-IV, should not be qualified for major depression in the DSM-V. It is understood that symptoms might be added to different diseases, as the psychiatric field is constantly growing. However, the qualifications for different mental disorders should not be lowered, even though the symptoms

In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, there is only a standard way to treat patients, regardless of if they are kids, adolescents or adults (Doucette). That is a major problem. The way children behave is completely different then how adolescents behave. Therefore, the way they receive a treatment for their mental diseases should be different as well. “The use of a single standard can be problematic in diagnosing children, adolescents, and adults. Whereas both children in the above illustration are given the same diagnosis, they are likely to need different treatment interventions given their respective developmental status” (Doucette). The manual is very standard so it does