Howard Wetsman picks apart the spectrum approach of the DSM5 Making a spectrum out of the illnesses that have been put in the substance use category of DSM IV is like making a spectrum out of an apple, an orange, a lemon, a lime, a blue fruit (if there was one) and a plum. You’d … Continue reading a spectrum of apples, oranges, lemons, plums?
Tag: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
DSM 5 Substance Use Disorders: A Concise Summary
Terry Gorski has a nice summary of substance use disorders in the DSM-5. Here's his analysis at the end of the post: The DSM 5 is criticized for combining the the DSM IV categories of substance dependence (addiction marked by a pattern of compulsive use or loss of control) and substance abuse disorders (using in … Continue reading DSM 5 Substance Use Disorders: A Concise Summary
2012’s most popular posts #10 – Almost Alcoholic
This article demonstrates a big problem in understanding addiction and the a big problem in the current diagnostic categories. ...when we think about alcohol abuse or alcoholism, our thoughts often go to situations like this where someone is at a stage where they are doing immediate damage to themselves or others, but what about the stage … Continue reading 2012’s most popular posts #10 – Almost Alcoholic
Intellectual conflicts of interest
Allen Frances, Chair of the DSM-IV Task Force lets loose on the DSM-5. He acknowledges the noxious effects of professional interests on research and practice in a way that is rarely seen from leaders of his stature. [emphasis mine] This is the saddest moment in my 45 year career of studying, practicing, and teaching psychiatry. The Board of … Continue reading Intellectual conflicts of interest
The DSM-5 is coming
Change is coming, but is it good? At its December meeting today, APA’s Board of Trustees approved the final diagnostic categories and criteria for the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). The trustees’ action marks the end of the manual’s comprehensive revision process, which has spanned over a decade and included … Continue reading The DSM-5 is coming
Life long?
Yesterday morning I re-posted from an article on the positive finding publication bias in psychology journals and how these findings live on in spite of the fact that they are never replicated and rely on shakey analysis. [audio: http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/podcast.thisamericanlife.org/podcast/436.mp3%5D Then, I'm driving to work and listen to last week's episode of This American Life discussing psychopaths. It … Continue reading Life long?
Addiction diagnoses to rise
I've posted before about problems with the proposed approach to addiction in the DSM-5. These changes were intended to clear up language problems, specifically the conflation of dependence and addiction leading to "false positives" for addiction. Looks like the DSM-5 is causing its own language problems before it's even adopted. [emphasis mine] Many scholars believe … Continue reading Addiction diagnoses to rise
Almost alcoholic?
This article demonstrates a big problem in understanding addiction and the a big problem in the current diagnostic categories. ...when we think about alcohol abuse or alcoholism, our thoughts often go to situations like this where someone is at a stage where they are doing immediate damage to themselves or others, but what about the … Continue reading Almost alcoholic?
Even more on the DSM-V
The Fix follows up on the previous piece about the coming changes in the DSM-V. The writer captures my concerns: I don’t foresee any negative results from dropping those two misguided terms. (abuse and dependence) But what does concern me is the fact that rather than still having two separate and distinct conditions—one, a short-term, … Continue reading Even more on the DSM-V
More on the DSM-V
The Fix has a good opinion piece on the DSM-V, praising its movement away from dependence and abuse. The focus on dependence also implied that cocaine—which does not produce physical dependence—isn’t “really” addictive. That lulled many people in the '80s—including yours truly—to think that cocaine wasn’t likely to be hard to kick. We all know better now. … Continue reading More on the DSM-V
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