Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Standard classification of mental disorders by the American Psychiatric Association.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is a publication by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) for the classification of mental disorders using a common language and standard criteria. It is an internationally accepted manual on the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders, though it may be used in conjunction with other classification documents.
- publisher
- American Psychiatric Association (APA)
- field
- Psychiatry
- purpose
- Classification of mental disorders
- key_feature
- Standardized diagnostic criteria
Lore & Background
census, which used a single category 'idiocy/insanity,' prompting protests from the American Statistical Association. Army manual from World War II.
Reader's Guide
The DSM is used by researchers, psychiatric drug regulation agencies, health insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, the legal system, and policymakers. Some mental health professionals use it to determine and communicate a patient's diagnosis after an evaluation. Hospitals, clinics, and insurance companies in the United States may require a DSM diagnosis for all patients with mental disorders. Health-care researchers use the DSM to categorize patients for research purposes. Recent editions have received praise for standardizing psychiatric diagnosis grounded in empirical evidence, but have also generated controversy and criticism, including questions concerning reliability and validity of many diagnoses, arbitrary dividing lines between mental illness and normality, possible cultural bias, and medicalization of human distress. The APA itself has published that inter-rater reliability is low for many disorders in the DSM-5, including major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. The DSM is distinct from the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), which is used more widely in Europe and other parts of the world; the DSM focuses more on quantitative and operationalized criteria, while the ICD emphasizes clinician judgment.
Did You Know?
- Since 1980, every code listed in the DSM has been an ICD-9 code; DSM-5 contains both ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes.
- The APA has published that inter-rater reliability is low for many disorders in the DSM-5, including major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders?
It is a reference publication produced by the American Psychiatric Association that provides a shared vocabulary and set of criteria for identifying mental health conditions. Think of it as psychiatry's standard dictionary for naming and defining disorders.
What is the DSM's role or 'power' in the field?
Its core function is to give clinicians a uniform set of diagnostic criteria so that a condition like depression or schizophrenia means the same thing whether you are in New York or Tokyo. It does not prescribe treatment on its own but is often used alongside other clinical guidelines.
Who publishes the DSM?
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is the organization responsible for publishing and periodically revising the manual.
Why is the DSM important?
It serves as the internationally recognized framework for categorizing mental disorders, giving researchers, clinicians, and insurers a common language to work from. Without it, diagnosis would vary wildly from one practitioner to the next.
What is the DSM's key defining feature?
Its hallmark is the use of explicit, standardized diagnostic criteria for each listed disorder, which makes diagnoses more reproducible across different settings and professionals.
More in Nonfiction & Philosophy 1-23
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record