167 B personality disorder (BPD) is one of the most prevalent, most widely studied, and yet most controversial of the personality disorders (PDs) described in the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 1994). Its public health significance arguably rivals that of any other diagnostic syndrome. Patients with BP...

The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), to be published in May, will include highly controversial changes. Some diagnoses have been broadened to include a range of behaviours hitherto considered normal. As the coverage of mental disorder diagnoses increases, is there any space left for normal biological variability in human behaviour? Michael Gros...

In 1980 the American Psychiatric Association (APA), faced with increased professional competition, revised the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Psychiatric expertise was redefined along a biomedical model via a standardised nosology. While they were an integral part of capturing professional authority, the revisions demystified psychiatric expertise, leaving psychiat...

MENTAL DISORDERS IN PRImary care are common, disabling, costly, and treatable. However, they are frequently unrecognized and therefore not treated. Although there have been many screening instruments developed, PRIME-MD (Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders) was the first instrument designed for use in primary care that actually diagnoses specific disorders using diagnostic criteria from...

A structured interview was used to examine the 1-year incidence and prevalence of depression among 116 first-year university students. While 24 of the subjects (20.7%) met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th ed. (DSM-IV) criteria for Major Depressive Episode (MDE), 62 (53.4%) met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 3rd ed. Revised (DSM-III-R) crit...

There has been great debate concerning the existence and meaning of compensation neurosis. It is included in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-9 and -10 but not listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR). On the eve of publication of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-...