Auna R.

Allen

October 6, 2020

Reflection 4

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) has been used in the field of psychology

for quite some time now. The weaker of the five DSM assessment tools would be the DSM one

and two. DSM one and two were published in 1952 under three different diagnostic categories,

psychoses, neuroses, character disorders. Although the aim for the DSM one and two was to

affectively diagnose patients no specific symptom lists or criteria were established.

Since no specific criteria were established, I believe that volume was the weaker of them.

Next, the DSM three was published in 1980. This version relied on empirical data and used

specific criteria to diagnose specific disorders. This was a very big step in improving the strength

of the DSM criteria, this version also added a multi-axial assessment by which emphasized on

clinical disorders, personality disorders, general medical conditions, psychosocial problems,

environmental problems, and also had the global assessment of functioning score incorporated.

The DSM four was published in 1994 by which changed some aspects of the DSM three criteria.

Years after the DSM four was published the DSM five was published in 2013.

This was the strongest version developed thus far. Although this version is the most

recently developed it still has some weaknesses. For instance, some disorders were rejected in

this version. I believe this rejection of disorders creates a bias in the classification of disorders. I

think no matter how extreme the disorder it should be recognized by the DSM five criteria. It

was also mentioned that there were no changes made to the dimensional approach towards

disorders. This in my opinion is a weakness because it does not establish a clear distinction

between what is considered a normal behavior and what is classified as a disorder. This can also
translate into some controversy surrounding DSM five. For instance, it could mislabel

individuals who are not suffering from disorders by which leads to inappropriate medications. To

improve the weaknesses overall, I believe that DSM five should be more critical of the revision

process. I also believe that just because the DSM five might categorize you, it does mean

individuals should form stereotypes about those disorders. Lastly, I believe the DSM five should

be affordable and accessible to all.

Although there are many weaknesses of DSM, I believe its importance has been impacted

by both the professionals who apply it and the clients who are affected by the diagnosis. For

instance, one of its strengths is the standardization of diagnosis across different treatment

providers. This ensures that each clinician can accurately diagnose a patient no matter the

location. In addition to the standardization of the DSM, it can also help with research guidance.

The diagnostic criteria checklist can ensure that researchers are studying the same disorder

classified by DSM. To go along with research guidance, there is also therapeutic guidance. This

helps the health professional ensure they are determining the correct diagnosis and which

treatment pattern they should use.

Overall, the DSM has both strengths and weaknesses. I believe this diagnostic tool should

be transparent and updated every few years especially with the new emphasis put on mental

health disorders. Although some information is missing on new disorders the diagnosis from the

DSM is critical in the field of psychology.