The New Crisis of Confidence in Psychiatric Diagnosis

Letters19 November 2013The New Crisis of Confidence in Psychiatric DiagnosisAllen Frances, MDAllen Frances, MDFrom Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-159-10-201311190-00021 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:Although Dr. Donix and I agree on most points, I fear that he underestimates the risk that the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, will cause harmful, unintended consequences. This manual certainly does not "aim to pathologize grief or forgetfulness," but it will almost surely have this result—particularly because primary care physicians, not psychiatrists, do most of the diagnosis and prescription of psychiatric drugs. There are no effective treatments for grief or forgetfulness, and the false positives are much more common than missed cases. It is also naive to ignore the large influence of drug ... Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M13-0997. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoThe New Crisis of Confidence in Psychiatric Diagnosis Allen Frances The New Crisis of Confidence in Psychiatric Diagnosis Markus Donix Metrics Cited ByAmerican psychiatry in the new millennium: a critical appraisalRetiring Categorical Systems and the Biomedical Model of Mental Illness: The Why and the How—A Clinician's PerspectiveGeneral practitioners' views on the diagnostic innovations in DSM-5 somatic symptom disorder - A focus group studyThe Mental Health Industrial Complex: A Study in Three CasesHistory-Taking, Assessment, Diagnosis, and FormulationAttitudes of mental health clinicians toward perceived inaccuracy of a schizophrenia diagnosis in routine clinical practiceOn the Eigenform and Viability of Human Complex Systems: A View to Epistemologically Ground Current PsychotherapyWho Owns Psychopathology? The DSM : Its Flaws, Its Future, and the Professional CounselorCasting the net too wide on overdiagnosis: benefits, burdens and non-harmful diseaseBibliographyEthnic Differences in Separate and Additive Effects of Anxiety and Depression on Self-rated Mental Health Among BlacksUsing Evolutionary Theory to Guide Mental Health ResearchPulp fiction: finding the truth within psychiatryDetection and treatment of at-risk mental state for developing a first psychosis: making up the balanceDSM-5: Challenging diagnostic testimonyNonsuicidal self-injury disorder: The path to diagnostic validity and final obstaclesMedication-free Alternatives for Long-term Maintenance of Bipolar Disorder: A Case Series"[L]abels of Themselves Condition Our Perceptions": The DSM and the Diagnostic Sign of SchizophreniaEstigma y salud mental en personas víctimas del conflicto armado interno colombiano en situación de desplazamiento forzadoParadoxes of US Psychopharmacology Practice in 2013Psychiatry's new manual (DSM-5): ethical and conceptual dimensions: Table 1Psychopathologie im sozialen KontextAlternative National Guidelines for Treating Attention and Depression Problems in ChildrenThe New Crisis of Confidence in Psychiatric DiagnosisMarkus Donix, MD 19 November 2013Volume 159, Issue 10Page: 720KeywordsConflicts of interestDisclosureDrug marketingDrugsFear ePublished: 19 November 2013 Issue Published: 19 November 2013 CopyrightCopyright © 2013 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...