Reforming psychiatry’s DSM

Modern psychiatry has become mired in a system of disease classification that defines mental disorders by the way they look and not on biological or

psychological processes, according to Dr. Paul McHugh, chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the

Johns Hopkins University.

Notably, McHugh’s criticism and his proposed solution are featured in the current issue of Psychiatric Research Report, a publication of the American Psychiatric

Association’s Division of Research. [see article, available online here]…

The topic of contention is the fourth edition of the APA Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), an encyclopedic catalog used to

consistently diagnose psychiatric diseases based on clinical symptoms.

But the focus on symptoms, rather than psychologic or biologic foundations, has led to thousands of overlapping conditions and confusing diagnoses, and the

current system has become unwieldy and outmoded, according to McHugh. EurekAlert!