In this opinion piece for The Chronicle Herald, Dr. A.J. discusses the subjective nature of psychiatric diagnosis and the DSM. Citing research by Paula Kaplan, Dr. A.J. points out conflicts of interest within the psychiatric system and in the development of clinical practice guidelines for psychiatric conditions.
“The evolution of the DSM illustrates that what is considered to be ‘medical’ and ‘scientific’ is often not an immutable standard.
It is variable across time, culture and changes in dominant schools of thought.
The act of diagnosis in and of itself validates the very disease it names and defines when, in fact, these classifications themselves have been changed over the years from DSM-I to DSM-V.”
