But not everyone likes the changes. For example, the new DSM has removed Asperger’s syndrome as an individual disorder. This developmental disorder has been absorbed into a larger group called autism spectrum disorder. People with autism have problems with social and communication skills. Asperger’s was considered a mild form of autism.
Dr. Kupfer considers the change in Asberger’s identification in the DSM to be minor. But Alycia Halladay does not. She is a director of Autism Speaks, an advocacy group for people with autism. Ms. Halladay says her group is worried that the change may keep people from receiving treatment or other services.
“We’re concerned about individuals that may have shown symptoms of Asberger’s not meeting the criteria for what is now called autism, and therefore not receiving services.”
Another change in the DSM-5 that critics have targeted is its new definition of depression. The old diagnosis called for a patient to show signs of unhappiness or lack of pleasure for a long time.
Now the manual suggests as little as two weeks of sadness could qualify as depression. Critics say simple grief can cause this.
“To diagnose major depression after bereavement is medicalizing a normal human reaction – that is, the grief of losing a loved one.”
That is Bruce Cuthbert from the Research Domain Criteria Project, or RDoC, at the National Institute of Mental Health. RDoC is collecting the latest research to identify the biological causes of mental disorders like depression.
最新
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25