Cooper R. Diagnosing the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

London: Karnac Books, 2014. — 100 p.The "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders," more commonly known as the DSM, is published by the American Psychiatric Association, listing and describing all mental disorders. The publication of DSM-5 in 2013 brought many changes. "Diagnosing the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5" is written for all those who wonder whether the DSM-5 now classifies the right people in the right way. It is aimed at patients, mental health professionals, and academics with an interest in mental health. Issues addressed include: What are the main changes that have been made to the classification? How is the DSM affected by financial links with the pharmaceutical industry? To what extent were patients involved in revising the classification? How are diagnoses added to the DSM? Does medicalization threaten the idea that anyone is normal? What happens when changes to diagnostic criteria mean that people lose their diagnoses? How important will the DSM be in the future?Introducin the DCM
DSM-5: an overview of changes
Controversies of process: the DSM and the pharmaceutical industry
Controversies of process: transparency and patient involvement
Issues of content: the birth of a new diagnosis-hoarding disorder
Issues of content: the changing limits of autistic spectrum disorders
The field trials: DSM-5 and the new crisis of reliability
The future