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The history of the DSM
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
 

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Early leaders in psychiatry believed that understanding behavior required insight into the thoughts and feelings that motivate one's actions along with the influence of one's past experience. They considered mental illnesses "personality disorders" which originated from life circumstances rather than biologically-based medical conditions.

This thinking continued past the first half of the century. During WWI, military psychiatrists treating soldiers who developed mental disorders believed their conditions resulted from their traumatic experiences. After the war, psychoanalysis became more common among the general population.

  • The first edition of the manual, the DSM-I, published in 1952, reflected current theories and recognized disorders as reactions to environmental events. The DSM-I contained 108 diagnoses.
  • DSM-II, published in 1968, made only minor revisions; a few disorders were added and eliminated. It contained 182 diagnoses.
  • The 1980 DSM-III brought sweeping changes. The "psychodynamic," or environmental, view was replaced by the biomedical model. The development of the DSM-III was influenced more by researchers than by clinicians (the professionals who treated patients.) Disorders were specifically defined with little overlap of characteristics.
  • A revision, the DSM-III-R, was published in 1987. There were now 265 diagnoses.
  • DSM-IV, published in 1994, brought many changes. Disorders were added, deleted, and reorganized. Diagnostic criteria and descriptions reflected the current research.
    The DSM-IV-TR, in 2000, made minor revisions to descriptions. The DSM now lists 365 diagnoses.

 

  

 

 

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