<p>I don’t agree with this guy, but it looks like the latest DSM has finally been approved, with some changes that will likely be talked about. </p>
<p>[Critic</a> calls APA approval of DSM-V “a sad day for psychiatry”](<a href=“http://www.healthnewsreview.org/2012/12/critic-calls-american-psychiatric-assoc-approval-of-dsm-v-a-sad-day-for-psychiatry/]Critic”>http://www.healthnewsreview.org/2012/12/critic-calls-american-psychiatric-assoc-approval-of-dsm-v-a-sad-day-for-psychiatry/)</p>
<p>Why must everything be a mental disorder? </p>
<p>I remember how many tests and sessions I had to go through a decade ago to get diagnosed with MDD and anxiety and get the medication needed to treat it. Now I know friends who can go get it if they’re just feeling down. </p>
<p>Too many drugs. Just too many drugs. And it takes so much attention and care away from those who actually need it.</p>
<p>Looking at that list, apparently I have several previously undiagnosed disorders. I’m sure someone would be happy to prescribe me some drugs for them.</p>
<p>romani–it’s not just the drugs. I’m a psychologist and we had to come up with a serious diagnosis or insurance companies wouldn’t cover talk therapy either.</p>
<p>Do you feel like psychologists are pressured to diagnose by insurance companies or some other entity?</p>
<p>^ Maybe patients? If they are willing to pay cash, they don’t need a diagnosis. There are people who pressure me for a more serious diagnosis for a smaller co pay and unlimited visits.</p>
<p>Or maybe internet forums? There are people who get diagnosed on them, and even encouraged to shop around until they find a provider who will confirm it.</p>
<p>Or maybe advocacy groups? That’s were a lot of the push comes from, for having things covered.</p>
<p>Hard to blame drug companies now. Seems they won’t touch psychopharm research with a ten foot pole right now.</p>
<p>I’ve always suspected that many prolific CC posters suffer from Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder. (I just didn’t know what to call it.) But now I have the American Psychiatric Association to back up that assumption. Warm satisfaction. sarcasm/</p>
<p>I can see the humor there, but I hope you also get the controversy. In many, if not most communities, there are epidemics of what is billed as bipolar disorder, because that’s how people get help for their kids, or adults that years ago would have been labeled with a personality disorder. Personality disorders aren’t covered, and might be moved to the back of the book.</p>
<p>romani–in my day, it was the insurance companies putting the pressure on us for a more toxic diagnosis or they wouldn’t pay. For anything. Most people couldn’t afford what we needed to charge to maintain an office and if insurance wouldn’t pay, they just couldn’t get treatment. I did as much as I could to reduce fees, sliding scales, I saw people for nothing if they had nothing, but that’s not sustainable. I had college loans to pay back. Medicaid rates were basically pro bono at that time. I’m guessing they still are.</p>
<p>" Medicaid rates were basically pro bono at that time. I’m guessing they still are."</p>
<p>Cheaper to do it free, with all the paperwork authorizations, audits. And what is often REALLY needed is more social work than specialty psychiatric care. </p>
<p>Okay, I’m done.</p>
<p>When I was at school my teachers said I was ‘a bit thick’ and had ‘ants in my pants’ and was ‘a cheeky little b…’. Now I know it was actually Cognitive Processing Speed Disability and Attention Deficit Disorder Hyperactivity and Oppositional Defiant Disorder.</p>
<p>Yes, if I’d gone back to work after my son was born, I’d have tried to work out a deal with social services so that I could use their offices to treat their foster kids if they’d do the paperwork. These kids had no money, but they did have foster parents who would get them to an appointment. If I could spend some time with the kid I could usually do some good.</p>
<p>“2) Normal grief will become Major Depressive Disorder, thus medicalizing and trivializing our expectable and necessary emotional reactions to the loss of a loved one and substituting pills and superficial medical rituals for the deep consolations of family, friends, religion, and the resiliency that comes with time and the acceptance of the limitations of life.”</p>
<p>Ok so my mom died a couple of months ago and my dad a year ago and I do feel like I’m walking in the weeds some most days. Until this DSMIV I knew I was sad. Hmmm, now that my state offers medical marijuana maybe I’m really sick and need some medicine. Yeehaa.</p>
<p>Looks like I already have #3, 5 and 9. After I get my “medicine” I guess I’ll have #8. Jeepers I had better get to the doc!</p>
<p>Edit: wo - they removed Asperger’s. I totally and seriously disagree with this one as I have worked with autistic and aspergers kids for over a decade and see a clear clear difference between them. Oh well. The world continues its turning.</p>
<p>Of all the changes, the elimination of Asperger’s seems to me the most troubling one. The Asperger’s designation helped to define a subset of children who are quirky intelligent: good language skills and high functional ability, but difficulty with social cues. These kids, the Aspies, have had their diagnosis taken away from them, one that helped provide a sense of belonging and comraderie.</p>
<p>What’s Aspergers now labeled?</p>
<p>They really want to classify temper tantrums as a mental disorder–REALLY??? I guess we ALL have a mental disorder because there is not a child alive that hasn’t had at least one temper tantrum…</p>
<p>I have to agree–does EVERYTHING need to be labeled now?? The “Aspie” one is the one that gets me—sorry…</p>
<p>garland,
"Looking at that list, apparently I have several previously undiagnosed disorders. I’m sure someone would be happy to prescribe me some drugs for them. "
-I am sure I have them all without even looking at the list. Iwas prescribed antidepressant because I sleep 5 hours (well, most of time only 4) and not 8. Pills went to garbage the minute I saw “antidepressant”. I still sleep for about 4 hours which is a great advantage since it allow me to pursue my personal interest after work. Who is to say how many hours we supposed to sleep. I am on this type of sleep for the past 23 years. So far it only affected me positively, why would I take any drugs for it? This is just one example, there are others. yep, I have all disorders and I need to take many drugs. My solution to this problem is vey simple, just do not go to the docs, you will never know what you have and you will not get prescription, so you will be drug free.</p>
<p>…btw, "temper tantrums " has the best natural rememdy, ignore the kid, let him have it there on a floor. The kids are not stupid, if nobody pays attention, they will stop “temper tantrums” very quickly, it is the cheapest solution, not need to spend money or time.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>It is part of autism spectrum disorder.</p>
<p>
Now there will more ways to qualify for SSDI.</p>