The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) – Pros and Cons
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, fourth edition, text revision [American Psychiatric Association. DSM-IV-TR, Washington, 2000] – or the DSM-IV-TR for short – describes Axis II personality disorders as “deeply ingrained, maladaptive, lifelong behavior patterns”. But the classificatory model the DSM has been using since 1952 is harshly criticized as woefully inadequate by many scholars and practitioners.
The DSM is categorical. It states that personality disorders are “qualitatively distinct clinical syndromes” (p. 689). But this is by no means widely accepted. As we saw in my previous article and blog entry, the professionals cannot even agree on what constitutes “normal” and how to distinguish it from the “disordered” and the “abnormal”. The DSM does not provide a clear “threshold” or “critical mass” beyond which the subject should be considered mentally ill.
Moreover, the DSM’s diagnostic criteria are ploythetic. In other words, suffice it to satisfy only a subset of the criteria to...
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