DMS-IV meets philosophy.
The authors discuss some of the conceptual issues that must be considered in using and understanding psychiatric classification. DMS-IV is a practical and common sense nosology of psychiatric disorders that is intended to improve communication in clinical practice and in research studies. DSM-IV has no philosophic pretensions but does raise many philosophical questions. This paper describes the development of DSM-IV and the way in which it addresses a number of philosophic issues: nominalism vs. realism, epistemology in science, the mind/body dichotomy, the definition of mental disorders, and dimensional vs. categorical classification.
Frances
A
A
Department of Psychiatry, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710.
Mack
A H
AH
First
M B
MB
Widiger
T A
TA
Ross
R
R
Forman
L
L
Davis
W W
WW
D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis; D008678:Metaphysics; D010686:Philosophy, Medical; D011584:Psychology; D012586:Science; D009626:Terminology as Topic