The consequences of DSM-5 for psychiatric diagnosis and psychopharmacotherapy.
OBJECTIVE
After 10 years of preparation, DSM-5 was published in 2013. This paper will examine the possible effects of DSM-5 on psychiatric diagnosis and psychopharmacotherapy.


METHODS
DSM-5 was compared with DSM-IV to identify the important changes in psychiatric diagnosis and possible consequences for psychopharmacotherapy.


RESULTS
Contrary to the original plans, DSM-5 did not make radical changes and move towards dimensional diagnosis but preserved the previous categorical system of disorders and a primarily symptom-based descriptive approach. The dimensional approach was only adopted through the introduction of several transnosological specifiers and the option to make symptom- or syndrome-related assessments. The criteria for some disorders were changed, including affective, dependence and schizophrenic disorders, and a few new disorders were added.


CONCLUSIONS
The DSM-IV diagnostic system was largely preserved, although some changes were made, primarily in the field of affective disorder and in several criteria sets. The new transnosological specifiers, severity assessments and cross-cutting dimensional assessments may help to individualise treatment.
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig Maximilian University , Munich , Germany.
Hans-Jürgen
HJ
Möller
D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy*
DSM-5; classification; diagnosis; psychopharmacotherapy