Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is a
commonly used diagnostic classification system that helps healthcare
professionals in order to identify mental health problems. DSM has
been published by the American Psychiatric Association and revised
a number of times over the years (Baglama, 2016). It is a widely used
classification system in the United States. However, its usage has
increased significantly in other countries also.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is needed in
the healthcare setting for a number of reasons. DSM acts as a helpful
as well as a useful diagnostic tool that can be used by healthcare
professionals in order to diagnose and clarify a disorder. It provides a
complete list of symptoms and enables the clinicians to reach better
conclusions relating to a disorder. It also helps in increasing the
speed of diagnosis of a specific disorder (Baglama, 2016). It facilitates
proper communication between mental health care administrators,
mental health care professionals, as well as the general public.
Moreover, it serves as a manual providing effective guidance to the
health care professionals for diagnosis, research, as well as
treatment.
The use of DSM provides a number of benefits in terms of behavioral
and mental health in comparison to ICD-10. While ICD-10 has been
written by National Center for Healthcare statistics (NCH) and the
World Health Organization (WHO), DSM has been developed by
professional psychiatrists and finalized by American Psychiatric
Association (APA). One of the significant benefits is that DSM
provides healthcare professionals with a universal diagnostic system
for the identification or diagnosis of mental health issues. It is a
beneficial tool for clinical psychologists as well as psychiatrists. The
preliminary diagnosis allows for better treatment of the patients
(Baglama, 2016).
The ICD-10 is used for the classification of all illnesses after
diagnosis and inpatient claims. However, DSM is exclusively used for
classifying the different mental health disorders (Key differences
between ICD-10 & DSM-5 - outsource2india. Outsource to India,
2021). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
standardizes the treatment as well as diagnosis of mental health
disorders. It ensures that the patients are able to get helpful and
appropriate treatment irrespective of their social class, locations, as
well as their ability to pay. It ensures concrete assessment of the
mental health issues and allows the healthcare professionals to
develop specific therapy in order to enhance the effectiveness of the
treatment. This, in turn, enhance the overall mental health outcomes
of the patients.
DSM provides research guidance in the field of mental health. The
diagnostic checklist of DSM ensures that different groups of
researchers are researching the same mental health disorders. It
helps in better identification of the various symptoms and causes of
mental health issues, thereby increasing the chances of better
treatment. The use of DSM eliminates the need for a lot of
guesswork by mental health professionals. The diagnostic criteria of
DSM serve as a map to enable the healthcare professionals to deliver
proper treatment to the patients through accurate diagnosis. This
also enhances the mental health outcomes for the patients. DSM is
an important standard for diagnosing the mental health conditions of
individuals.
References
Baglama, B. (2016). Evaluating the usefulness of DSM in diagnosing
mental health problems: a review of the literature. Global Journal of
Psychology Research: New Trends and Issues, 6(1), 46-51.
Key differences between ICD-10 & DSM-5 - outsource2india. Outsource
to India. (2021). Retrieved February 24, 2022, from
https://www.outsource2india.com/Healthcare/articles/key-
differences-between-icd-10-dsm-5.asp
