DSM is an
acronym for
Diagnostic and
Statistical
Manual (of
Mental Disorders), put out by the
APA. The
methodology of this book
stresses the fact that
psychology is unlike other
sciences, in that it is not a
hypothesis-
experiment system that tries to
determine causality.
It is more like a system of
observation and
taxonomy. The
categorization of
mental illness is not derived from anything except the
stats and the
symptoms. If a certain new
type of
thinking and
behaving differently from
everyone else is found, a set of
criteria a put forth. Since each
criterion has to be
satisfied for the diagnosis to be
accurate, the DSM is under
constant revision. New
research data keeps redefining the
exact criteria for different
illnesses.
The DSM, in
addition to being used for
clinical, re
search and
education purposes, also functions as a
standardize the
language used to describe
psychopathology. The
terms used in the DSM are used
across several different
organizations, and is
recognized as
the reference for all mental illness
topics.
Version 4 is the latest release.