The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, now on its fifth edition, (DSM-5) is a categorical indication-based approach to mental illness and psychopathology. The DSM and the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) define how mental health problems are assessed, managed, and treated within the fields of social work, psychiatry, and psychology.

In addition, the DSM and ICD:

  • Frame social and public discourse on mental health

  • Guide pharmaceutical industry practices

  • Constrain health insurance policies

  • Are officially sanctioned by legal and government policies

  • Inform research design (Dalgleish et al., 2020; Whooley, 2014).

Therefore, it is critical that clinicians be familiar with the diagnostic criteria found in the DSM and ICD.

Advantages of the DSM

Before we apply a more critical lens, there are several advantages of using the DSM as a framework for the assessment of mental health problems including:

Sociopolitical

An official diagnosis provides legitimacy when talking about one’s mental ill-health for academic, professional, and social accommodations which can help to add legitimacy to one’s suffering and help to reduce stigma about mental health (Dalgleish et al., 2020).
Common Technology

Provides a common terminology for talking about different symptoms and conditions to make communication easier across clinicians, researchers, and individuals (Dalgleish et al., 2020).
Research

It establishes a common metric for research programs (Dalgleish et al., 2020).

Learn More

To learn more about the DSM, please visit the American Psychiatric Institution’s website who publish this manual. You can also read more about the ICD from the World Health Organization who maintains this classification.

References

Dalgleish, T., Black, M., Johnston, D., & Bevan, A. (2020). Transdiagnostic approaches to mental health problems: Current status and future directions. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 88(3), 179–195.

Whooley, O. (2014). Nosological Reflections: The Failure of DSM-5, the Emergence of RDoC, and the Decontextualization of Mental Distress. Society and Mental Health, 4(2), 92–110.