New psychiatric diagnostic manual released

Long-awaited update of "the psychiatrist's bible" has stirred controversy.

Marketplace: How Much Is The DSM-5 Worth?
Controversy has dogged the new DSM-5, what people like to call "the psychiatrist's bible," and it won't even be officially released until this weekend. Really, the book is a manual clinicians use to diagnose and classify people with mental illness. While it sounds pretty dry, there's a whole lotta drama around this book. The federal government has questioned its value. ... some practitioners are boycotting it and there are charges that it's not ready for prime time. Before I say anything more about the DSM-5, here are a couple of facts about the DSM IV. It's 19 years old and it still brings in about $4-5 million a year (Gorestein, 5/17).

Reuters: Psychiatrists Unveil Their Long-Awaited Diagnostic 'Bible'
The long-awaited, controversial new edition of the bible of psychiatry can be characterized by many numbers: its 947 pages, its $199 price tag, its more than 300 maladies (from "dependent personality disorder" and "voyeuristic disorder" to "delayed ejaculation," "kleptomania" and "intermittent explosive disorder") (Begley, 5/17).

Medpage Today: APA Leaders Defend New Diagnostic Guide
The fifth edition of the "psychiatrist's bible" was officially released here in all its 947-page glory, with its developers offering a spirited rebuttal to their critics. Known as DSM-5, the new version of the American Psychiatric Association's (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders was launched at a press briefing to kick off the organization's annual meeting. Most of the changes from the previous edition had already been made public, at least in general outline (Gever, 5/18).

McClatchy: Child Mental Health Disorder Rising, Cost Society $247 Billion Annually
Up to one in five American youngsters – some 7 million to 12 million by one estimate – experience a mental health disorder each year, according to a new report billed as the first comprehensive look at the mental health status of American children. And the rate is increasing, said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which produced the study, released Thursday (Pugh, 5/16).