The New York Times (5/12, A11, Urbina, Subscription Publication) reported that “psychiatrists and other specialists who are rewriting the manual that serves as the nation’s arbiter of mental illness have agreed to revise the definition of addiction, which could result in millions more people being diagnosed as addicts and pose huge consequences for health insurers and taxpayers.” The new “revision to the manual, known as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM, would expand the list of recognized symptoms for drug and alcohol addiction, while also reducing the number of symptoms required for a diagnosis, according to proposed changes posted on the website of the American Psychiatric Association, which produces the book.” The Times added, “The broader language involving addiction, which was debated this week at the association’s annual conference, is intended to promote more accurate diagnoses, earlier intervention and better outcomes, the association said.”
Related Links:
— “Addiction Diagnoses May Rise Under Guideline Changes,”Ian Urbina, The New York Times, May 11, 2012.