Diagnosing Mental Disorders

Written on 07-05-2019

How do psychiatrists and psychologists diagnose mental health disorders? Since 1952, there has been a standardized classification manual, commonly called the DSM (the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). Now in its fifth edition, the manual has about 300 different diagnoses. But many people have multiple disorders with overlapping symptoms. Here’s one doctor’s fascinating account of trying to pinpoint a diagnosis when the symptoms don’t fit neatly into a bucket. As you can see in the title, “Should Mental Disorders Have Names?” he is not convinced the current system works.

For those interested, more details here, on Scientific American: “Should mental disorder have names?”