As many of you know, a draft of the proposed DSM-5 is just out and it’s bound to stir plenty of comment and controversy. First, I’ve got to congratulate the DSM-5 crafters for making the draft public and for seeking public comment. That’s right: the APA wants to hear from members of the public, not just medical professionals. So let them know what you think.
Meanwhile, let me offer some preliminary comments:
1. Internet addiction isn’t included, which is fine by me and likely will save the APA much sniggering and criticism.
2. Bipolar disorder type 3 or subthreshold bipolar disorder is not included either and that is definitely a victory for critics like me who’ve long held that the softening of mood disorders–such as with bipolar disorder type 2–has led to millions of Americans being overdiagnosed and overmedicated.
Read more of this post at Furious Seasons, a thoughtful blog belonging to a health care journalist who has long suffered from mental illness (I can’t seem to link directly to the specific post, but at least for today it’s still at the top of the blog’s landing page).
We draw your attention to his observations because we’re interested in how nurses—perhaps especially psych nurses, but all nurses, or, for that matter, nurses who are patients—may be reacting to the release for public comment of a draft of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Your thoughts are always welcome here; we also hope to cover this in more detail in the journal in the coming months.
Comments are moderated before approval, but always welcome.