Diagnostic And Statistical Manual Of Mental Disorders

The newly released Diagnosis and Statistical Manual has made many positive changes in philosophy, structure, and diagnoses. There is a new emphasis based on research findings of risk factors for suicide and on assessing the impact of an individual's culture on his or her symptoms. Based on research studies, the new manual eliminated, modified, and added disorders; did away with the multi-axial format; moved toward a developmental and lifespan approach; increased gender considerations; better organized diagnoses; limited its use forensically; educates on grief vs. depression and expands normal grieving time; and added the Emerging Measures and Models which include Cross-Cutting Assessment Measures.

Learning Objectives

Participants will be:

• Knowledgeable of the APA's philosophical goals in the structure and content of the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition.
• Understanding of the shift to a linear diagnosis and the reasons for this shift.
• ·Familiar with the significant shifts in diagnoses, diagnostic criteria, and the re-organizing of diagnoses.
• ·Aware of the new section Assessment Measures including the Cross-Cutting Symptoms Measures, Clinician-Rated Dimensions of Psychotic Symptom Severity, and the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule.
• Knowledgeable of the disorders found to be at higher risk for suicide and for violence.