Overview
- First book-long appraisal of the DSM-5
- Comprehensive picture of controversies over the construction of the DSM-5
- State-of-the-art philosophical criticism on the current classification of mental disorders
Part of the book series: History, Philosophy and Theory of the Life Sciences (HPTL, volume 10)
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About this book
Since its third edition in 1980, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) of the American Psychiatric Association has acquired a hegemonic role in the health care professions and has had a broad impact on the lay public. The publication in May 2013 of its fifth edition, the DSM-5, marked the latest milestone in the history of the DSM and of American psychiatry. In The DSM-5 in Perspective: Philosophical Reflections on the Psychiatric Babel, experts in the philosophy of psychiatry propose original essays that explore the main issues related to the DSM-5, such as the still weak validity and reliability of the classification, the scientific status of its revision process, the several cultural, gender and sexist biases that are apparent in the criteria, the comorbidity issue and the categorical vs. dimensional debate.
For several decades the DSM has been nicknamed “The Psychiatric Bible.” This volume would like to suggest another biblical metaphor: the Tower of Babel. Altogether, the essays in this volume describe the DSM as an imperfect and unachievable monument – a monument that was originally built to celebrate the new unity of clinical psychiatric discourse, but that ended up creating, as a result of its hubris, ever more profound practical divisions and theoretical difficulties.
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Keywords
- Asexuality
- Categorical vs. dimensional debate
- Comorbidity issue
- DSM Philosophy
- DSM-5 Critical Reading
- Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
- Diagnostic labels
- Hebephilia
- Monomania
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
- Paraphilia
- Philosophy of Psychiatry
- Psychiatric Classification
- Psychiatric nosology
- Psychiatry and Science
Table of contents (13 chapters)
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Front Matter
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General Issues
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Front Matter
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Specific Issues
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Front Matter
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Reviews
“The essays in Demazeux’s and Singy’s volume are all about the DSM-5, but they also address many distinct aspects of human life, from research design to moral values, to sexuality, to grief. … the volume–and the intensity of the criticisms it contains–eloquently demonstrates the importance of the DSM to modern life. This in turn proves the importance of the collection, which contributes to our understanding of both the DSM and ourselves.” (Brent M. Kious, Metascience, Vol. 25, 2016)
“The present volume of philosophical commentary on this ambitious project offers a range of contributions to the debate about psychiatric nosology, a few of which are truly outstanding. … this volume is recommended reading for specialists and non-specialists alike interested in the problems inherent in constructing any useful taxonomy of mental conditions and particularly for insight into the science, history, and politics that have shaped the current DSM-5.” (Mark J. Sedler, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews, ndpr.nd.edu, August, 2015)
“This is a collection of essays from different authors exploring the main problems of the DSM-5. … The purpose is to review and discuss the methodological and philosophical weaknesses, as well cultural bias, in the DSM-5. … one definitely worth checking out if you deal with the DSM at all.” (Brett C. Plyler, Doody's Book Reviews, July, 2015)
Editors and Affiliations
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: The DSM-5 in Perspective
Book Subtitle: Philosophical Reflections on the Psychiatric Babel
Editors: Steeves Demazeux, Patrick Singy
Series Title: History, Philosophy and Theory of the Life Sciences
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9765-8
Publisher: Springer Dordrecht
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and Law, Philosophy and Religion (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015
Hardcover ISBN: 978-94-017-9764-1Published: 23 March 2015
Softcover ISBN: 978-94-024-0610-8Published: 29 October 2016
eBook ISBN: 978-94-017-9765-8Published: 28 February 2015
Series ISSN: 2211-1948
Series E-ISSN: 2211-1956
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XXIV, 238
Topics: Philosophy of Medicine, Psychiatry, Philosophy of Biology