American Psychiatric Association proposes major changes to leading manual of mental disorders
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Proposed revisions to the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) were released Feb. 10 by the American Psychiatric Association.
The proposed revisions were drafted by 13 work groups whose members reviewed a wide body of recent research and consulted with expert advisers.
Among their recommendations: grouping current diagnoses of autistic disorder, Asperger's disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder and pervasive developmental disorder (not otherwise specified) into a single diagnostic category called "autism spectrum disorders;" replacing current substance abuse and dependence categories with a new category called "addiction and related disorders;" and creating a new category of "behavioral addictions" to cover a single disorder: gambling.
"These draft criteria represent a decade of work by the American Psychiatric Association in reviewing and revising DSM," Alan Schatzberg, M.D., president of the American Psychiatric Association in Arlington, Va., said in a statement. "But it is important to note that DSM-5 is still very much a work in progress -- and these proposed revisions are by no means final." The proposed revisions will be subject to a two-year review and refinement period before being incorporated into the new DSM.
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