#4: DSM-IV-TR

Anyone taking a general course in psychology has probably heard of the DSM-IV-TR or the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Edition Four Text Revised.  This book is constantly being update and outlines all psychological disorders that modern psychologists recognize which might suggest that psychologists' understand of psychological disorders is changing over time as more studies are performed to better understand what is a 'disorder' as opposed to what is a different approach to life.  Since it is not the original volume, it can be noted that the book is constantly adding new disorders or removing misdiagnosed mental illnesses such as homosexuality.  Without understanding this book, you cannot truly begin to comprehend the complexities of many of the illness listed within.

The DSM was first written in 1952 following World War II when psychiatrists were in high demand.  Upon completion of the war, many of the soldiers were experiencing unusual symptoms and army officials were concerned that the war had drastically changed the men so psychiatrists were called in to determine if the veterans were capable or incapable of future duties.  Initially, psychiatrists were instructed to follow the Medical 203 manual, but it was found that it was insufficient to diagnosis some of some cases were no physical damage was noticeable, but rather mental damage had been apparent.  For the first time, a manual had been created to not only diagnosis physical ailments, but mental illnesses as well. 

An interesting thing to note about the DSM is how drastically it has changed over the years.  For example, in the DSM I, homosexuality had a been considered a mental disorder for it had been thought of being an irrational desire for the same sex that was later disproved and taken out upon the second edition of the DSM.  The second edition had included more of a biological basis for classifying certain disorders as opposed to the traditional psychoanalytic approach to classify patients as being mentally ill.  In the DSM III, psychiatrists looked more to experiments to find new diseases as new categories were formed and old categories were reclassified to include other hereditary factors that were not previously mentioned.  The DSM IV, and most current edition, lists over 250 disorders in a span of 886 pages put together by over 20 leading psychiatrists.  This manual has become the staple for diagnosing mental illness around the globe.

Works Cited

Spitzer, R. L. "Classification of Psychiatric Disorders." JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association 294.15 (2005): 1898-899. Print.

Houts, Arthur C. "Fifty Years of Psychiatric Nomenclature: Reflections on the 1943 War Department Technical Bulletin, Medical 203." Journal of Clinical Psychology 56.7 (2000): 935-67. Print.
"Institute for Nearly Genuine Research: Chemical Imbalance NOS." Institute for Nearly Genuine Research . N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2011. <http://www.bonkersinstitute.org/