Abstract
Objectives: The World Health Organization and the American Psychiatric Association are revising their classifications of mental disorders – a costly, time-consuming exercise with wide implications. This article seeks to make practitioners aware of the proposed changes, which have been posted on the internet and are freely available.
Conclusions: Taxonomic changes create strong emotions; the ones proposed for DSM5, though far from drastic, are no exception. The main diagnostic categories remain largely the same as in DSM-IV. Most of the modifications entail moving specific disorders from one section to another, deleting disorders that have had little practical use, or changing the name. The substance-related disorders and personality disorders sections have been changed the most. It remains to be seen whether the proposed new categories – several of them controversial – will make it to the final version.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Jennifer Bergen is thanked for her suggestions and editing.
DISCLOSURE
The author reports no conflicts of interest. The author alone is responsible for the content and writing of the paper.