about dsm-5
Here are the several trains of thought related to DSM-5:
Interpreting DSM-5
The number of diagnoses in the DSMs
The merits and demerits of DSM-5
Diagnostic rates and the DSM (OK, not clickable; it's just below)
Interpreting DSM-5
The number of diagnoses in the DSMs
The merits and demerits of DSM-5
Diagnostic rates and the DSM (OK, not clickable; it's just below)
diagnostic rates and the dsm
Adding up the minimum population rates for major mental disorders (including PDs) listed in DSM-5 yields an overall rate of 140% for United States adults. Of course, these are terribly approximate, depending as they do on a great variety of studies of varying quality, using different definitions. Where available, I took the most conservative estimates — 12-month prevalence rates over lifetime — and I ignored any disorders for which there were no more-or-less solid data. Even so, an overall rate of 140% is pretty striking: 1.4 disorders for every man and woman over the age of 18.
Its invitation to speculate as to cause has been taken up by countless writers. I won't contribute (much) to the confusion, except to point out that at least some of the apparently excessive rate of diagnosis may be due to the fact that there are several ways that diagnostic rates are measured: by incidence, by point prevalence, as lifetime occurrences. It wouldn't be too extreme to imagine that not all the rates have been reported using the same statistics. Until we can be sure that we are truly using like measures, we might as well relax and stop worrying.
Its invitation to speculate as to cause has been taken up by countless writers. I won't contribute (much) to the confusion, except to point out that at least some of the apparently excessive rate of diagnosis may be due to the fact that there are several ways that diagnostic rates are measured: by incidence, by point prevalence, as lifetime occurrences. It wouldn't be too extreme to imagine that not all the rates have been reported using the same statistics. Until we can be sure that we are truly using like measures, we might as well relax and stop worrying.