Wednesday, May 01, 2013

DSM-V : Ready to Launch







And how do you feel?


Psycritic said...

With regard to the coding issue, according to Allen Frances:

The only official codes are the ones provided by the International Classification of Disease (ICD)- in the US, that now means ICD-9-CM. The editors of DSM's simply pick the ICD codes they feel most resemble the DSM categories. Their choices are based solely on their own opinions, not through any officially sanctioned mechanism and they carry no special weight. There is nothing sacred about the DSM 5 choices- I know because I am the one made the final choices for DSM IV.

So hopefully, that really means not much in the way of diagnostic code changes. Not sure what's going to happen for new diagnoses like DMDD, though.

roblindeman said...

DSM-V? I, for one, have been anticipating the arrival of DSM-5. But I quibble.

Adjustment disorder is one of my favorite diagnosis codes. It allows me to be paid without attempting, however subtly, to convince myself or others that there is actually anything wrong with my clients' brains

Dinah said...

Rob, shows how much I've been paying attention.

Psycritic, what's dmdd?

roblindeman said...


Added you to my RSS feed reader

Psycritic said...


DMDD stands for disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, which was called "temper dysregulation disorder with dysphoria" (TDDD) early on in the DSM-5 process. It's a diagnosis used to describe kids who have frequent tantrums and also are mostly irritable between tantrums.

It's a reaction to kids being over-diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and it's hugely controversial, since many people don't feel it's right to invent a new disorder to prevent overdiagnosis of an old one.

I'll have more to say about it on my blog in the coming weeks.

Dinah said...

Thanks, psycritic. Someone's got to tell me what's flying...

Joel Hassman, MD said...

Wow, what imagery using what appears to be a bomb to reflect the "launch" of DSM 5.

Now that is a true Freudian slip in my opinion!

Dinah said...

In no way was my choice of an image unintentional

Zoe Brain said...

How much of the DSM-5 is evidence-based?

How reliable is it - for example how likely is it that 2 mental health professionals, both evaluating the same case, will substantially agree on the diagnosis? Is that figure less than or more than for the DSM-IV-TR?

And if we can't answer those questions, why not?

Steven Reidbord MD said...


I'm curious what they've done with personality disorders, as I've long favored personality scales as opposed to diagnostic categories. From what I've read, though, this section has been made much more complex and hard to use. Since I'm attending the big APA meeting this month (I hardly ever go), I'll be able to look over the new DSM without having to buy one. I never bought a DSM-IV, only the small coding handbook.

Unknown said...

i can't wait for the new DSM... with the old one i had two different diagnosis and some elements of another two, maybe the new way to categorise disorders will clear up my mess, ahahahha

Psycritic said...

Dr. Reidbord, your comment about using nonspecific diagnoses made me think about the value of those diagnostic codes, and since my response is too long to put here as a comment, I have a new blog post up titled: NOS Is Dead; Long Live NEC!