Revolutionizing Psychiatric Nosology: The Conceptual Evolution of DSM-5

As the field of neuroscience continues to advance, there is a pressing need to refine our current psychiatric nosology to keep pace with these breakthroughs. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) is poised to take a significant leap forward, and The Conceptual Evolution of DSM-5 provides a comprehensive framework for this evolution.

A New Era for Psychiatric Diagnosis

The forthcoming fifth edition of the DSM is set to revolutionize clinical practice and facilitate ongoing development of diagnostic criteria. This manual highlights recent progress in our understanding of cross-cutting factors relevant to psychiatric diagnosis and symptom presentation, including:

• Age, gender, culture, and disability: How these factors influence the expression of mental disorders
• Genetic evidence supporting a cross-cutting approach to nosology
• Integrating cross-cutting factors with DSM-5 for improved clinical practice

This publication was written to provide a theoretical context for understanding potential revisions to DSM-5, reevaluating the structure of the current manual and discussing cross-cutting approaches to facilitate clinical practice and refine research approaches.

Insights into the Future of Psychiatric Diagnosis

The authors provide valuable insights into:

• Age-, gender-, and culture-specific aspects relevant to psychiatric diagnosis and the need for sensitivity to these factors when making diagnoses
• The dimensional aspects of mental disorders, including overlapping symptoms relevant to many or most diagnoses
• Alternative classifications of disorders that recognize disorders sharing validating features
• Neuroscientific and epidemiologic evidence to expand understanding of disorders beyond the categorical organization presented in DSM-IV
• Clinical implications, including how clinicians may shift their conceptualization of previously reified diagnostic criteria and their consequences

Presented at the 99th Annual Meeting of the American Psychopathological Association, The Conceptual Evolution of DSM-5 explores the rapidly changing research base for the understanding of neurodevelopmental, neurocognitive, addictive, and other psychiatric disorders. This publication confirms that DSM-5 is intended to be a living document that can accommodate revisions to specific diagnostic areas based on new evidence that is replicable and subject to review.

This efficient updating process will help researchers and clinicians keep abreast of the latest protocols for the research, diagnosis, and treatment of mental illness.

Book Details

Author: Darrel A. Regier

Publisher: American Psychiatric Publishing

Publication Date: November 3, 2010

Language: English

ISBN: 9781585623884, 9781585629480