New DSM-5 Organizational Structure Announced

The American Psychiatric Association today announced the new proposed organizational structure for DSM-5, due out in 2013.  You can view the new structure here.   The new structure takes into account science's new understandings about how conditions relate to each other and reflects the new information we have learned about the brain, genetics and behavior since the publication of DSM-IV.  As an example, OCD which was previously considered an anxiety-driven disorder, now has its own grouping to reflect the new knowledge about the distinct neurocircuits involved in the disorder.  The chapters are arranged in a developmental lifespan fashion, starting with disorders which are usually diagnosed in infancy and early childhood and continuing on through disorders more commonly diagnosed in adulthood. Within each diagnostic category, the individual disorders are similarly arranged so that those disorders which are typically diagnosed in childhood are listed first.

You can comment on the new structure by registering on the DSM-5 homepage.