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The six most essential questions in psychiatric diagnosis: a pluralogue part 1: conceptual and definitional issues in psychiatric diagnosis.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Phillips, J; Frances, A; Cerullo, MA; Chardavoyne, J; Decker, HS; First, MB; Ghaemi, N; Greenberg, G; Hinderliter, AC; Kinghorn, WA; Martin, EB ...
Published in: Philos Ethics Humanit Med
January 13, 2012

In face of the multiple controversies surrounding the DSM process in general and the development of DSM-5 in particular, we have organized a discussion around what we consider six essential questions in further work on the DSM. The six questions involve: 1) the nature of a mental disorder; 2) the definition of mental disorder; 3) the issue of whether, in the current state of psychiatric science, DSM-5 should assume a cautious, conservative posture or an assertive, transformative posture; 4) the role of pragmatic considerations in the construction of DSM-5; 5) the issue of utility of the DSM - whether DSM-III and IV have been designed more for clinicians or researchers, and how this conflict should be dealt with in the new manual; and 6) the possibility and advisability, given all the problems with DSM-III and IV, of designing a different diagnostic system. Part I of this article will take up the first two questions. With the first question, invited commentators express a range of opinion regarding the nature of psychiatric disorders, loosely divided into a realist position that the diagnostic categories represent real diseases that we can accurately name and know with our perceptual abilities, a middle, nominalist position that psychiatric disorders do exist in the real world but that our diagnostic categories are constructs that may or may not accurately represent the disorders out there, and finally a purely constructivist position that the diagnostic categories are simply constructs with no evidence of psychiatric disorders in the real world. The second question again offers a range of opinion as to how we should define a mental or psychiatric disorder, including the possibility that we should not try to formulate a definition. The general introduction, as well as the introductions and conclusions for the specific questions, are written by James Phillips, and the responses to commentaries are written by Allen Frances.

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Published In

Philos Ethics Humanit Med

DOI

EISSN

1747-5341

Publication Date

January 13, 2012

Volume

7

Start / End Page

3

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Mental Disorders
  • Humans
  • Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
  • Concept Formation
  • Applied Ethics
  • 5001 Applied ethics
  • 2203 Philosophy
  • 2201 Applied Ethics
 

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Phillips, J., Frances, A., Cerullo, M. A., Chardavoyne, J., Decker, H. S., First, M. B., … Zachar, P. (2012). The six most essential questions in psychiatric diagnosis: a pluralogue part 1: conceptual and definitional issues in psychiatric diagnosis. Philos Ethics Humanit Med, 7, 3. https://doi.org/10.1186/1747-5341-7-3
Phillips, James, Allen Frances, Michael A. Cerullo, John Chardavoyne, Hannah S. Decker, Michael B. First, Nassir Ghaemi, et al. “The six most essential questions in psychiatric diagnosis: a pluralogue part 1: conceptual and definitional issues in psychiatric diagnosis.Philos Ethics Humanit Med 7 (January 13, 2012): 3. https://doi.org/10.1186/1747-5341-7-3.
Phillips J, Frances A, Cerullo MA, Chardavoyne J, Decker HS, First MB, et al. The six most essential questions in psychiatric diagnosis: a pluralogue part 1: conceptual and definitional issues in psychiatric diagnosis. Philos Ethics Humanit Med. 2012 Jan 13;7:3.
Phillips, James, et al. “The six most essential questions in psychiatric diagnosis: a pluralogue part 1: conceptual and definitional issues in psychiatric diagnosis.Philos Ethics Humanit Med, vol. 7, Jan. 2012, p. 3. Pubmed, doi:10.1186/1747-5341-7-3.
Phillips J, Frances A, Cerullo MA, Chardavoyne J, Decker HS, First MB, Ghaemi N, Greenberg G, Hinderliter AC, Kinghorn WA, LoBello SG, Martin EB, Mishara AL, Paris J, Pierre JM, Pies RW, Pincus HA, Porter D, Pouncey C, Schwartz MA, Szasz T, Wakefield JC, Waterman GS, Whooley O, Zachar P. The six most essential questions in psychiatric diagnosis: a pluralogue part 1: conceptual and definitional issues in psychiatric diagnosis. Philos Ethics Humanit Med. 2012 Jan 13;7:3.
Journal cover image

Published In

Philos Ethics Humanit Med

DOI

EISSN

1747-5341

Publication Date

January 13, 2012

Volume

7

Start / End Page

3

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Mental Disorders
  • Humans
  • Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
  • Concept Formation
  • Applied Ethics
  • 5001 Applied ethics
  • 2203 Philosophy
  • 2201 Applied Ethics