The fifth edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5): what is new for the pediatrician?

T he Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is the most important resource for the purpose of psychiatric diagnoses, whether by the psychiatrist or the general practitioner. The American Psychiatric Association published the fifth edition of DSM (DSM-5) [1], containing significant changes in the diagnostic criteria for certain disorders from those in DSM-IV, which had been in widespread clinical use for nearly two decades [2]. DSM-5 was developed over a six-year official process utilizing the contributions of more than 400 multi-disciplinary professionals from varied specialties from across the world.