Image: DSM-5 by Len Lantz (CC BY-NC-ND)
Synopsis: Len's Star Rating: 7 out of 10. The definitive guide to mental disorders.
BY LEN LANTZ, MD, author of unJoy / 1.2.2020; No. 2
Disclaimer: Yes, I am a physician, but I’m not your doctor and this article does not create a doctor-patient relationship. This article is for educational purposes and should not be seen as medical advice. You should consult with your physician before you rely on this information. This post also contains affiliate links. Please click this LINK for the full disclaimer.
Star Rating – 7 out of 10
Rating guide: 1 = horrible, 5 = average and 10 = wow
Author(s)
American Psychiatric Association
About the author(s)
There are hundreds of people, mostly psychiatrists and psychologists, who contributed to the final version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5).
General description
This will be the most bizarre book review I’ve ever written. Some people have called the DSM the “Bible” of psychiatry. I happen to be a psychiatrist and know several of the contributors personally, so this review is my perspective and is certainly not objective.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) is the definitive guide in the research and diagnosis of mental disorders. Until neuroscience advances are made in the understanding of mental disorders and the brain, the DSM is and will remain the ultimate authority on psychiatric illness.
Unique and most important aspects
There is no other reference guide on mental illness that even comes close to matching the authority and acceptance of the DSM. Important ideas from this book:
Gender can influence illness
Mental illness is understood in the context of one’s culture
Having a psychiatric symptom is not the same as having a psychiatric illness
There can be symptom overlap between diagnoses
There can be a range of symptoms (or spectrum of severity) within a specific psychiatric illness
Best quotes
“While DSM has been the cornerstone of substantial progress in reliability, it has been well recognized by both the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the broad scientific community working on mental disorders that past science was not mature enough to yield fully validated diagnoses – that is, to provide consistent, strong, and objective scientific validators of individual DSM disorders. The science of mental disorders continues to evolve.”
“A mental disorder is a syndrome characterized by clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior that reflects a dysfunction in the psychological, biological, or developmental processes underlying mental functioning. Mental disorders are usually associated with significant distress or disability in social, occupational, or other important activities. An expectable or culturally approved response to a common stressor or loss, such as the death of a loved one, is not a mental disorder. Socially deviant behavior (e.g., political, religious, or sexual) and conflicts that are primarily between the individual and society are not mental disorders unless the deviance or conflict results from a dysfunction in the individual, as described above.”
Who would enjoy this book?
Anyone with a connection to or interest in mental health and its impact would find this standard reference useful.
Who would not enjoy this book?
As this book is a reference guide, most of the general public would not enjoy simply reading it. Reading the DSM is harder than reading an encyclopedia. People who feel stigmatized by the diagnosis of a mental disorder would not enjoy this book. Depending on their agenda, critics of psychiatrists or the field of psychiatry could love and/or despise this book.
Conclusion
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) is the authoritative reference guide for the study and diagnosis of mental disorders.