New research bolsters the idea that the risk for psychiatric and developmental disorders isn’t specific to particular conditions — and that could mean new opportunities to treat mental illnesses that focus more on their common genetic roots.
dsm
My Name Is John and I Am a Sex Addict. (Or Maybe Not)
Is it or isn’t it? A new study undermines the theory that sex addiction is a brain-based disorder similar to other addictions.
Viewpoint: My Case Shows What’s Right — and Wrong — With Psychiatric Diagnoses
Over the course of my life, I have been given no fewer than five different diagnoses for mental illnesses, under the diagnostic system laid out in psychiatry’s “bible,” the DSM. But it was a sixth diagnosis— one that …
Mental Health Researchers Reject Psychiatry’s New Diagnostic ‘Bible’
Just weeks before psychiatry’s new diagnostic “bible”—the DSM 5— is set to be released, the world’s major funder of mental health research has announced that it will not use the new diagnostic system to guide its …
Most Common Psychiatric Disorders Share Genetic Roots
Diverse mental illnesses may actually represent variations on a common theme rather than separate disorders.
Revisions to Mental Health Manual May Turn Binge Drinkers into ‘Mild’ Alcoholics
Are you an alcoholic— or just a problem drinker? It may not matter, according to the latest version of the DSM, psychiatry’s diagnostic manual.
Jesse Jackson Jr.’s Bipolar 2: A Diagnosis Muddled by the Market
Why the Congressman’s recent diagnosis of bipolar 2 has a history of controversy
DSM-5 Could Categorize 40% of College Students as Alcoholics
Most college binge drinkers and drug users don’t develop lifelong problems. But new mental-health guidelines will label too many of them addicts and alcoholics.
DSM-5 Debate: Committee Backs Off Some Changes, Re-Opens Comments
The committee responsible for revising the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders — psychiatry’s diagnostic “bible” commonly referred to as the DSM — has dropped the inclusion of two …
Good Grief! Psychiatry’s Struggle to Define Mental Illness Goes Awry
A proposed new definition of depression would include normal bereavement. Why that’s a bad idea.
Family MattersAutism
Ending the Autism Epidemic: If the Definition Changes, Will Some Kids Lose Services?
With an official redefinition of autism in the offing, many parents are worried.
Is Marijuana Addictive? It Depends How You Define Addiction
Does marijuana cause addiction? As Californians prepare to vote on Prop 19 — which would legalize recreational use of the drug, at least under state law — the question is more pertinent than ever. The answer, however, is less …