20 Use of the Manual
mania, depression, anxiety, substance intoxi cation, or neurocognitive symptoms—so that
an “unspecified” disorder in that category is identified until a fuller differential diagnosis
is possible.
Definition of a Mental Disorder
Each disorder identified in Section II of the manual (excluding those in the chapters enti-
tled “Medication-Induced Movement Disord ers and Other Adverse Effects of Medica-
tion” and “Other Conditions That May Be a Fo cus of Clinical Attention”) must meet the
definition of a mental disorder. Although no definition can capture all aspects of all dis-
orders in the range contained in DSM-5,  the following elements are required:
A mental disorder is a syndrome characte rized by clinically significant distur-
bance in an individual’s cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior that reflects
a dysfunction in the psychological, biological, or developmental processes un-
derlying mental functioning. Mental disorders are usually associated with signif-
icant distress or disability in social, occupational, or other important activities.
An expectable or culturally approved response to a common stressor or loss,
such as the death of a loved one, is not a mental disorder. Socially deviant be-
havior (e.g., political, religious, or sex ual) and conflicts that are primarily be-
tween the individual and society are not mental disorders unless the deviance
or conflict results from a dysfuncti on in the individual, as described above.
The diagnosis of a mental disorder should have  clinical utility: it should help clinicians
to determine prognosis, treatment plans, and potential treatment outcomes for their pa-
tients. However, the diagnosis of a mental disorder is not equivalent to a need for treat-
ment. Need for treatment is a complex clinic al decision that takes into consideration