Fairfax, VA, USA. The Manual for Diagnosis of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) is the principal desktop diagnostic reference for psychiatric diagnosis. Used by physicians and other caregivers in the United States and around the world, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) published the current edition, DSM-IV, in 1994. While influential, there is considerable variation in its practical application.

The APA named the Work Groups and membership for the next DSM-V revision, scheduled an early draft for comment (due in 2009), and plans on completion of the final version in May 2012.  The APA stresses there will be a greater emphasis on evidence-based medicine.

The APA announcement stimulated wide interest in the professional, patient, and activist communities. TS-Si.org expanded its coverage of this important development with a variety of articles that touch on the DSM-V deliberations. Reactions and suggestions from our readers are always welcome. You can see current comments from our readers in the TS-Si.org Comments Section.

TS-Si Resources

TS-Si.org features an extensive collection of research abstracts, technical articles and opinion pieces on the DSM. All TS-Si content is searchable.

• Research Abstracts. Citations and abstracts from the professional literature are available in full text, with additional access via the title index.
  
  
• Technical Articles. Numerous TS-Si articles touch on DSM and related issues. The articles typically include full citations and references. Selected articles provide full text downloads of the source journal articles.
  
  
• Opinion Pieces. Comment on the DSM take two major forms: independent commentary by our columnists and guest authors, as well as comments left on specific articles by visitors to the site.
  
  
• Search Engine. Visitors can perform a simple search by entering a search term in the box at the upper right of each page. More complex queries are available via the TS-Si Advanced Search facility.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The DSM is a guide to what the American Psychiatric Association (APA) terms mental disorders. It is the handbook desktop reference used most often for diagnostics in the US and abroad.

 

The reference is a listing of psychiatric disorders, diagnostic codes, information on the prevalence of each disorder, and diagnostic criteria. The DSM is non-theoretical and does not offer information on causes or treatments. The DSM has the force of law in a variety of mental health related activities, such as commitment hearings, and is a principal resource used in the development of legislation.

 

Mental health professionals use the DSM for a variety of purposes, such as clinical practice, research, and educational purposes. Clinicians also use the DMS-IV to classify patients for billing purposes. The government and many insurance carriers require a specific diagnosis in order to approve payment for treatment.

 

The DSM has gone though five major revisions, with the most recent major update published in 1994. The current version is a minor variant published in July 2000 that adds clarifying text (DSM-IV, Text Revision). The primary goal was to maintain the currency of the DSM-IV text with the empirical literature up to 1992. Most of the changes were in the descriptive text, with some error correction and changed diagnostic codes to reflect updates to the ICD-9-CM coding system adopted by the U.S. Government. It is available from the the DSM-IV-TR web site. 

 

DSM-V publication is planned for 2010/11. The APA Steering Commitee says it is open to suggestions and maintains a web page, DSM-V: The Future Manual. 

 

The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) Axis I Disorders (SCID-I) is a semi-structured interview for making the major DSM-IV Axis I diagnoses. The SCID-II is a semi-structured interview for making DSM-IV Axis II: Personality Disorder diagnoses. The official SCID site maintains a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

The TS-Si News Service is a collaborative effort by TS-Si.org editors, contributors, and corresponding institutions. The sources can include the cited individuals and organizations, as well as TS-Si.org staff contributions. Articles and news reports do not necessarily convey official positions of TS-Si, its partners, or affiliates. We welcome your comments. Use the form below to leave a public comment or send private correspondence via the TS-Si Contact Page. We will not divulge any personal details or place you on a mailing list without your permission.

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites.