How psychiatry’s discontents became a sea of disdain, controversy and confusion. A review of DSM A History of Psychiatry’s Bible.

Abstract

The issue of DSM-111 (the little blue book) in 1980 changed the face of psychiatry. It was intended to put the discipline on a scientific footing, ensure reliability of diagnoses and provided the basis to elucidate the scientific causes of such disorders.   It has however failed in almost every task set out, with succeeding iterations leading to even more controversy, culminating in DSM-5 in 2013.   DSM has had enormous success in terms of distribution and income for the APA but led to great controversy as evidenced by the growing number of critical articles and books.   This review of Allan Horwitz’s book looks at the background to the controversy and the ongoing crisis for psychiatry.