We now put women in chemical straitjackets and prescribe psychotropic medication instead of locking them up for unfeminine behaviour or marital discontent.
Vineus/Flickr
The newly released edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-5) may be heralded as the “bible of psychiatry”, but it is not an objective scientific document outlining the…
Sufferers of internet disorder might find it starts to impose on real life, such as causing difficulties in socialising.
Flickr/Fle
Since it was first published in 1952, the DSM has been the has been the diagnostic bible for many psychiatrists. Each time the manual is updated, new conditions are introduced, often amid much controversy…
DSM-5 has been described as the bible of psychiatry but the assumption that professionals use it for their own gain is far fetched.
PA
DSM-5, the latest version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association, was published in the US at the weekend.
Given that not even its most passionate supporters would…
Psychiatric diagnosis relies on identifying a patient’s signs and symptoms rather than clinical tests.
PA/Ben Birchall
Traditional psychiatry uses the approaches of medicine to try to understand mental health problems and guide treatment. This means relying on diagnosis – identifying what are believed to be mental illnesses…
Medication misuse is out of control in the US and more psychiatric labelling in DSM-5 will not help.
Whale05/Flikr
“We are all mad here” explains the Cat to Alice when she wonders about the strangeness of Wonderland. Well, life is starting to follow art. If people make the mistake of following DSM-5, the new diagnostic…
The DSM-5 doesn’t attempt to define what is “normal”; and having a DSM diagnosis is not the same as being “insane”.
Image from shutterstock.com
The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) is due to hit psychiatrists' and psychologists' shelves next month. Produced by the American Psychiatric…
The cosy relationship between the psychiatry and Big Pharma has come under increasing scrutiny.
Hannah Nicole Aspire
MATTERS OF THE MIND – a series which examines the clinician’s bible for diagnosing mental disorders, the DSM, and the controversy surrounding the forthcoming fifth edition.
In Australia, antidepressant…
It’s normal to have recurring waves of grief after the loss of a loved one but prolonged, severe grief requires treatment.
white ribbons
MATTERS OF THE MIND – a series which examines the clinician’s bible for diagnosing mental disorders, the DSM, and the controversy surrounding the forthcoming fifth edition.
Grief is one of the most universal…
Overall, there will be fewer symptoms and disorders listed in the new psychiatry manual.
Axel Buhrmann
MATTERS OF THE MIND – a series which examines the clinician’s bible for diagnosing mental disorders, the DSM, and the controversy surrounding the forthcoming fifth edition.
For autistic people and their…
The inclusion of hoarding on the DSM-5 will drive an integrated response to this complex problem.
Hoarding Grap Wikimedia Commons
MATTERS OF THE MIND – a series which examines the clinician’s bible for diagnosing mental disorders, the DSM, and the controversy surrounding the forthcoming fifth edition.
We’ve all got boxes of old…
Many non-western cultures recognise states of mind that look like mental illness but don’t fit DSM categories.
Todd Huffman
MATTERS OF THE MIND – a series which examines the clinician’s bible for diagnosing mental disorders, the DSM, and the controversy surrounding the forthcoming fifth edition.
There’s an old saying that…
Criteria for mental health disorders have been formulated by expert committees. But are they right?
Psychiatry image from shutterstock
Welcome to Matters of the Mind, a series which examines the clinician’s bible for diagnosing mental disorders, the DSM, and the controversy surrounding the forthcoming fifth edition.
The Diagnostic and…
The symptom-based approach of the current DSM does not take life events into account.
Woman image from shutterstock.com
Welcome to Matters of the Mind, a series which examines the clinician’s bible for diagnosing mental disorders, the DSM, and the controversy surrounding the forthcoming fifth edition.
You’re feeling down…
We need to keep questioning the justifications for depriving those with severe mental health problems of their liberty.
Shanon Wise
Each Australian state and territory has a Mental Health Act that enables those with severe mental health problems to be detained and treated without their consent. While the criteria differ, generally…
He may not fit with modern terminology, but were Freud’s concepts of the mind right on the money?
tnarik
Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychology, has recently suffered some serious knocks. His theories have been dismissed as unscientific and his achievements are now considered to be equal parts myth and…
Current treatments for bipolar disorder are more effective for the symptoms of mania than for depression.
Chris Connelly
Little understood and lacking effective drugs for addressing the scope of its symptoms, bipolar disorder can wreak havoc with the lives of people who suffer from it.
Now an over-the-counter drug is offering…
Media reports of crime and grief often refer to a family’s need for “closure”.
AAP
Media stories about crime and grief often centre on the concept of “closure”. It’s assumed families affected by crime or loss need to achieve closure and can’t begin the grieving process until the perpetrator…
The study claims an association between infant reactions and adult anxiety is due to temperament rather than shaped by the environment.
MRS.HART/Flickr
A paper published earlier this week in the journal Molecular Psychiatry claims reactions to unfamiliar sounds, smells and objects at four-months could predict the development of anxiety disorders later…
Problems come when bodies change and brain development doesn’t keep up.
Flickr/zebra404
You just have to turn on the television or catch a glimpse of a magazine newsstand to see how girls are being thrust into adulthood earlier and earlier. But does biology match societal change? Are girls…
Since the 1960s, the number of hospital beds for treating people with mental illnesses has declined dramatically in most OECD countries.
Australia has been among the most assiduous in implementing reform…
Surgery and psychiatry attract the most patient complaints and have a high potential for power imbalance.
c e d db o/Flikr
Nearly a fifth of all complaints against doctors in private practice in Victoria are made against a small group of medical professionals.
So taking early action against these complaint-prone doctors may…
Historically, lefties have had a rough trot.
Flickr/Incurable Hippie
Left handers have copped their share of bad publicity in the past.
The term used to describe left handers in English is “sinistral”, which is derived from the word “sinister”.
And it’s no better in other…
US psychiatrist Allen Frances is confusing the issues.
Julie70/Flickr
A controversy is brewing on the website Psychology Today and subsequently in The Australian newspaper. At the heart of the issue is US psychiatrist Dr Allen Frances' comments on the Australian Federal…
Keeping a journal or confiding in a friend can help overcome emotional issues.
“When people get sick or injured or want advice about their health, they want to see a doctor” Dr Andrew Pesce, AMA President.
As a child psychiatrist, I work with general practitioners to enhance the…
