Allen Frances adds to his catalog of DSM-5 mistakes with the return of the controversial – and ultimately rejected – “Psychosis Risk Disorder”, under a new name; “Attenuated Psychosis Syndrome.” Under the new name, insurance companies can be billed for an ‘Other Specified Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder/Other Psychotic Disorder.’ “It makes absolutely no sense to pin the misleading and stigmatizing label ‘Other Specified Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder’ on someone who, in typical settings, will have only about a 10% chance of ever becoming psychotic,” says Frances, “And certainly it makes no sense to follow this misdiagnosis with an unproven and potentially very harmful antipsychotic treatment. Preventing psychosis would be a great idea if we could really do it; but there is no reason to think we can. And reaching beyond our grasp is likely to harm those we hoped to help.”
© 2024 Mad in America Foundation