New Psychiatric Manual Combines Alcohol Disorders
The newly released update to psychiatry’s diagnostic manual
combines problem drinking and alcoholism into a single condition known
as “alcohol use disorder,” which some experts say could lead binge
drinkers to be mislabeled as alcoholics.
CNN reports the new diagnosis, found in the updated Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, known as DSM-5,
could follow college students into adulthood. The earlier version of
the manual, DSM-4, had separate categories for alcohol abuse and the
more serious alcohol dependence.
A recent study
suggests the changes to alcohol disorders may not improve the diagnosis
of alcoholism. The study found the changes are unlikely to result in a
less accurate diagnosis, but they do not represent a clear improvement
above the current diagnostic criteria.
In addition to being used by mental health professionals to diagnose
patients, the DSM is used by insurance companies and schools in making
decisions about coverage and special provisions for people with
developmental or mental disorders, the article notes.
Critics of the DSM-5 say it will expand the list
of what constitutes mental illness and will lead to a needless increase
in diagnoses. A growing number of psychiatrists, psychologists and
clinical social workers say depression and other normal responses to
life events are too often labeled as mental illness, increasing the use
of potentially dangerous medication.
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