The DSM-V is a comprehensive list of recognized mental disorders, divided into five categories, and is widely used by mental health professionals worldwide. The goal is to assist in classifying patient conditions for diagnosis and treatment purposes, and to help patients receive benefits. Patients should seek professional help for accurate diagnosis.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, also known as DSM-V, DSM V, or DSM-5, is a detailed list of classifications of mental disorders scheduled for publication in 2013. In the United States, the DSM is widely regarded the bible of psychiatry, providing a comprehensive list of every recognized mental disorder in the United States. Outside the United States, professionals around the world rely on the DSM for patient assessment and diagnosis.
The first edition of the DSM was published in 1952. It has since undergone a series of revisions to reflect a number of changes. Conditions like homosexuality, for example, were once listed in the DSM and are now not because they are no longer recognized as mental illnesses. The most recent editions have introduced new concepts in psychiatry, simplified the diagnostic process and provided more detailed information on mental disorders.
Revisions for DSM V began in 1999. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) worked with the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIHM), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) to develop a series of committees that would work on proposals for additions and amendments to the fifth edition of the DSM. In early 2010, a series of drafts of DSM V were released to the public for comment, sparking much discussion and debate.
Within the DSM V, as in other editions of this famous manual, mental conditions are divided into five “axis” which are broad categories. Axis III, for example, covers ‘acute medical conditions and physical ailments’ such as head trauma. Within each axis, there is a detailed breakdown. For diagnosis, patients must show symptoms that can be located within a specific subset of an axis.
The goal of DSM V is to assist mental health professionals in classifying the conditions their patients may have. This edition acknowledges that sometimes patients may experience overlapping symptoms that previously made some diagnoses difficult. With a diagnosis in hand, a doctor can begin exploring treatment options with the patient. Additionally, having a diagnosis can be important to receiving benefits such as disability benefits or health insurance, with many agencies and companies denying benefits unless a patient has a diagnosis with an accepted DSM code.
Patients should note that while it is possible to view the DSM as a layman, assessing patients requires experience in the mental health field. Patients may see a psychologist or psychiatrist on numerous occasions before an appropriate diagnosis can be determined, and simply having symptoms that match those of the DSM may not necessarily mean that someone has a certain mental condition.
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