A critique of the DSM-5 field trials

J Nerv Ment Dis. 2012 Jun;200(6):517-9. doi: 10.1097/NMD.0b013e318257c699.

Abstract

This article provides an overview and critique of the field trials for the current revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). The purpose of the DSM-5 field trials was to evaluate the use, feasibility, safety, reliability, and validity of the DSM-5 proposals. In this article, the procedures for evaluating these properties of the DSM-5 are reviewed, and several concerns-such as delays, disorganization, missed deadlines, field trial cancellations, lack of adequate validity testing, and high clinician attrition rates-and their likely impact on the field trial results are presented.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Advisory Committees
  • Bias
  • Child
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders*
  • Evaluation Studies as Topic*
  • Humans
  • Mental Disorders / classification*
  • Mental Disorders / diagnosis*
  • Mental Disorders / epidemiology
  • Mental Disorders / psychology
  • Observer Variation
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • United States