Is DSM-5 a Failure? Analyzing the Controversies Surrounding the Current American Mental Health Diagnostic Manual

Abstract

The goal of achieving a universally acceptable and empirically sound diagnostic manual in psychiatry remains an ongoing challenge. From the time of its production to the present day, DSM-5 has been criticized for its diagnostic criteria, timeline, scope, clinical and research utility, and scientific validity. The level of such criticism ranges from constructive and scholarly to destructive and impractical. Deluged by the vastness of such levels of criticism, it becomes difficult for both mental health professionals and consumers to sort the nature of such arguments. It is prudent that professionals should become educated about the historical perspectives and the scientific limitations that are barriers in the development of a consensual diagnostic manual without ignoring and while appreciating the practical and educational benefits of the imperfect DSM-5. This article serves this purpose by analyzing the major controversies surrounding DSM-5. [ Psychiatr Ann . 2022;52(4):161–169.]