sciencemag | The new edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5)
is being released this month amid great controversy, with many in the
field questioning whether psychiatry’s main diagnostic guide needs an
overhaul, or to be completely abandoned. Some argue that it’s time to
start from scratch and create a new system for diagnosing mental illness
based on biological data. Others say that the manual turns too many
aspects of normal life, such as grief, into medical conditions and that
it’s time to look more closely at the social dimensions of psychiatric
disorders, such as our relationships with friends and family.
