Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
Intro
DSM-V / DSM-5
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). It is an official archive of all conditions that are formally recognized as mental health disorders.
The tool has two key features. It contains information critical for diagnosing mental disorders including:
- descriptions
- symptoms
- diagnostic criteria
The S in DSM-V stands for statistics, the second key feature. The DSM contains statistical information about each mental health condition including:
- typical age of onset
- population most affected
- effects of treatment
- most common treatment strategies
The History of the DSM
The DSM was originally published in 1952. Since its inception, the DSM has undergone several revisions as the APA and general public’s understanding of mental pathology changes and evolves. DSM-5, first published in 2013, is the edition that followed DSM-IV (published in 1994). To date, the latest edition is the DSM-5-TR, published in 2022. This article will also explain the difference between the DSM-5 and the DSM-5-TR.
