Diagnostic and Statistical Manual DSM

Besides the paucity of historic data, another difficnlty associated with mental health studies of disaster victims is the lack of standardization of criteria used for case definitions of mental health disorders following mass trauma, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (6,7). Diagnostic criteria for PTSD, as noted in the fourth edition of the diagnostic and statistical manual (DSM-IV), should go beyond specified combinations of symptoms to include requirements for symptom duration and the patient s ability to function (6,7). Specifically, for a PTSD diagnosis, the patient must have symptoms for more than 1 month, and the symptoms must cause clinically significant distress or impair the patient s ability to function (6,7). In addition, the symptoms must occur after the traumatic event and could not have existed before the event. Unfortunately, many studies have used questionnaires that fail to distinguish new symptoms following traumatic events from previous prevalent symptoms such as sleeplessness that many people have at various times (6). The consequence is that many studies tend to inflate the prevalence of PTSD. 

American Psychiatric Association, DSM-lll-R-Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd ed., rev., American Psychiatric Association, Washington, D.C., 1987. 

The diagnostic criteria for, and general features of, disorders in which anxiety is a prominent component are described in detail in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-IV, 4th edition (1994)) and are regarded as either phobias or anxiety states ... 

Individuals with a pattern of chronic use of commonly abused substances should be assessed to determine if they meet Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) criteria for substance dependence (addiction). 

With a lifetime prevalence of 28.8%, anxiety disorders collectively represent the most prevalent Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR)2 class of disorders, with specific phobia (12.5%) and social anxiety disorder (12.1%) being the most common.3 Recent reports from the National Comorbidity Survey Revised (NCS-R) estimate the lifetime and 1-year prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) for those 18 years of age and older to be 5.7% and 3.1%, respectively.3,4 Rates for panic disorder (PD) are slightly lower, with an estimated 12-month prevalence of 2.7% and lifetime prevalence of 4.7%. 

The most useful diagnostic criteria for ADHD is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders, 4th edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) (Table 39-1). The DSM-IV-TR defines three subtypes of ADHD (1) predominately inattentive, (2) predominantly hyperactive/impulsive, and (3) combined, in which both inattentive and hyperactive symptoms are evident.11... 

DSM-IV The fourth edition of the American Psychiatric Association s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders which along with the tenth edition of the World Health Organisation s International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) are widely used for psychiatric evaluation, especially in clinical pharmacology. 

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) represents the most widely used psychiatric nosology in the United States. From a historical perspective, it appears that the major changes to the DSM have taken place to solve a few specific problems—particularly, problems with reliability. Over time, the DSM has done well in addressing problems related to reliability, but this evolution has raised many criticisms and has created additional problems. In this chapter, the history of the DSM is reviewed, along with the major criticisms that have been raised about its more recent versions. We also suggest taxometric analysis as one method that will prove useful in addressing many of the limitations of the current system. 

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR American Psychiatric Association, 2000) specifies that the symptoms of substance-related disorders may include tolerance withdrawal loss of control unsuccessful efforts to cut down or quit a great deal of time committed to finding, using, or recovering from using substances impairment in specific areas of one s life and continued use in spite of negative consequences. To meet criteria for dependence, the individual must have three or more of these... 

Female or male 50-85 years old with a caregiver Mini Mental Status (MMS) test between 16 and 26 inclusive Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) test inferior or equal to 1 National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke/Alzheimer s Disease and Related Disorders Association (NINCDS/ADRDA) test positive for Alzheimer s disease Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM IV) test positive for dementia Exclusion Criteria ... 

Abrams DB, Monti PM, Carey KB, Pinto RP, Jacobus SI (1988) Reactivity to smoking cues and relapse two studies of discriminant validity. Behav Res Ther 26(3) 225-233 American Psychiatric Association (1994) Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 4th edn (DSM-IV). American Psychiatric Association, Washington, DC Asghari V, Sanyal S, Buchwaldt S, Paterson A, Jovanovic V, Van Tol HH (1995) Modulation of intracellular cyclic AMP levels by different human dopamine D4 receptor variants. J Neurochem 65(3) 1157-1165... 

American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders DSM-IV. 4th ed., revised. Washington (DC) APA Press, Inc. 1994. 

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