xliPreface
The American Psychiatric  Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders (DSM) is a classification of mental di sorders with associ ated criteria de-
signed to facilitate more reliable diagnoses of  these disorders. With successive editions
over the past 60 years, it has become a standard  reference for clinical practice in the mental
health field. Since a complete description of the underlying pathological processes is not
possible for most mental diso rders, it is important to emph asize that the current diagnos-
tic criteria are the best available descriptio n of how mental disord ers are expressed and
can be recognized by trained clinicians. DSM is intended to serve as a practical, functional,
and flexible guide for organizing information that can aid in the accurate diagnosis and
treatment of mental disorders. It is a tool for clinicians, an essential educational resource
for students and practitioners, and a reference for researchers in the field.
Although this edition of DSM was designed fi rst and foremost to be a useful guide to
clinical practice, as an official nomenclature it must be applicable in a wide diversity of
contexts. DSM has been used by clinicians and researchers from diff erent orientations (bi-
ological, psychodynamic, cognitive, behavior al, interpersonal, family/systems), all of
whom strive for a common language to commu nicate the essential ch aracteristics of men-
tal disorders presented by their patients. The information is of value to all professionals
associated with various aspects of mental health care, including psychiatrists, other
physicians, psychologists, social workers, nu rses, counselors, forensic and legal special-
ists, occupational and rehabilitation therapists , and other health professionals. The criteria
are concise and explicit and intended to fac ilitate an objective asse ssment of symptom pre-