What I think about the changes
I think that the changes contained in the DSM-V manual have been effected at the right time when parents need to understand various categories and information with regard to mental disorders. The changes reflect the amount of research that has been invested into understanding psychiatric disorders. The autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) were previously known by three distinct forms, i.e. autistic disorder, asperger’s disorder and PDD-NOS (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Currently, term intellectual disability is being used, instead of mental retardation, to refer to neurodevelopmental disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). This is a key change that shows how professionals understand the aetiology and progression of various disorders contained in the manual. The changes have also affected the psychotic and bipolar disorders classifications. The changes have put into consideration severity levels of ASDs, and this is crucial for the management of the conditions (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).
Beneficiaries
There are three major categories of beneficiaries of the changes in DSM-V. First, parents caring for children with ASDs are better informed, and they are able to seek the best management options from healthcare providers. For instance, a parent could study the information about a particular mental problem and discuss with a practitioner the options available for the management (Frances & Widiger, 2012). Second, affected children will benefit from the changes made in the publication. They will receive better healthcare based on better diagnosis and classification achieved through the changes adopted. Third, clinicians will have a better formal platform for the diagnosis of disorders associated with brain functions. Clinicians will follow specific criteria that must be utilized to offer quality diagnosis. Healthcare providers will use the relevant labels and code that are crucial for making claims to health insurance firms (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). The pace at which clinicians will adopt the changes contained in the diagnosis manual will greatly impact the benefits achieved by both parents and patients (Frances & Widiger, 2012; Matson, Belva, Horovitz, Kozlowski & Bamburg, 2012; Mattila et al., 2011).
Advantages of the changes
The changes in DSM-V have advantages that will result in improved healthcare. First, the changes adopted by DSM-V have been achieved through progressive research that is important for understanding different psychiatric disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). The categories are crucial in conducting evidence-based research that is aimed at deciphering symptoms and other factors associated with various disorders. Second, the changes support differential diagnosis. Previously, there was a high probability of misdiagnosing an individual with a mental disorder. However, the changes contained in DSM-V provide lengthy sections that contain information about various many brain disorders that affect children (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). The details enable healthcare providers to narrow down diagnoses and distinguish abnormal mental functions. An order of key questions is used by clinicians to identify a specific disorder affecting an individual (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).
Disadvantages of the changes
There have been concerns that DSM-V publication contains diagnostic criteria that have a cultural bias. Specifically, the manual is oriented toward Anglo-Americans (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Thus, it does not put into consideration what is considered the norm within other ethnic groups in the US (Matson et al., 2012). Another disadvantage is that the changes in DSM-V perpetuate dehumanization because individuals can be labelled with mental pathologies by aligning their symptoms with categories of disorders contained in the manual. This process of diagnosis may not enable clinicians to view clients as unique individuals with unique personalities and problems.
References
American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing
Frances, A. J., & Widiger, T. (2012). Psychiatric diagnosis: lessons from the DSM-V past and cautions for the DSM-5 future. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 8(1), 109-130.
Matson, J. L., Belva, B. C., Horovitz, M., Kozlowski, A. M., & Bamburg, J. W. (2012). Comparing symptoms of autism spectrum disorders in a developmentally disabled adult population using the current DSM-V-TR diagnostic criteria and the proposed DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 24(4), 403-414.
Mattila, M. L., Kielinen, M., Linna, S. L., Jussila, K., Ebeling, H., Bloigu, R.,… & Moilanen, I. (2011). Autism Spectrum Disorders According to DSM-V-TR and
Comparison With DSM-5 Draft Criteria: An Epidemiological Study. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, n.d. 50(6), 583-592.