The American Psychiatric Association is reportedly updating the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, known as the DSM. The manual, being revised under a cloak of confidentiality, has come under criticism for not allowing outside observers to review the scientific debate behind new and revised diagnoses. According to critics, the process needs to be open, and cite potential conflicts of interest.
Psychiatrists working on the latest edition of the manual were reportedly required to sign a strict confidentiality agreement. APA officials have however denied any confidentiality mandate. The association says 'transparency' is the byword of those overseeing the process.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders provides diagnostic criteria for mental disorders. It initially evolved out of systems for collecting census and psychiatric hospital statistics, and from a manual developed by the US Army. First published in 1952, DSM is used by clinicians, researchers, psychiatric drug regulation agencies, health insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies and policy makers worldwide.
