For those of you that aren't familiar with what the DSM is, it's the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders. It's basically used as a reference to classify mental disorders when a person is in a mental health crisis. This book is used by anyone in the psychiatric profession. The first edition was published in 1952 by the American Psychiatric Association.

With the advent of the newest edition due out there has been a big debate whether or not a new book was really needed. It was also questioned as to with the DSM-IV already in use would the DSM-5 cause a greater confusion of the different classifications or it's sub-classifications? The DSM-IV has been out and used since 1994.

The reason that the DSM-5 is being published (it has been in the works since 1999) is that many of the classifications and sub-classifications have evolved. In other words, "What we have here, is failure to communicate." to quote a well know movie.

Many in the mental health field say that it is becoming harder and harder to diagnosis a mental health issue because of the current definitions of a classification. There are too many other possible diagnostic answers to anyone persons problems and setting up a primary diagnosis with out downplaying a sub-diagnosis puts the patient at risk. Also, there have been other issues in society that presented themselves as possibly new classifications that in turn would add new sub-classifications.

So, the question stands as, is there a necessity for a new edition with new classifications or does the current edition of the DSM stand? I would like to suggest a new classification and it would solve the problem of having to publish a whole new edition. In fact it could be added as an addendum. The classification would be JPN otherwise know as "Just Plain Nuts". It kind of covers it all.

DCMerkle