15 new mental illnesses in the DSM-5

 Additions to the diagnostic manual include hoarding and caffeine withdrawal

 

The release of a new medical text doesn’t normally generate the kind of fever-pitch anticipation of say, a new Harry Potter book or iPhone model. But the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM for short, is an exception. The American Psychiatric Association released its revised fifth edition of the manual, which serves as the official authority on mental health diagnoses (and related insurance claims), on Wednesday. The DSM-5, which informs the way psychiatrists prescribe drugs, comes with 15 new diagnoses—including hoarding and cannabis withdrawal—while eliminating and combining others. “Sexual aversion disorder,” for example, has been redacted from legitimate diagnoses because of “rare use and lack of supporting research,” according to the APA. (Until the 1970s, the manual listed homosexuality as a disorder.)

Also see: DSM overhaul stirs controversy

While psychiatrists considered suggestions from medical professionals as well as the public, the updates have already sparked debate and criticism. “People are just as confused about the question, What is madness?” says Paul McHugh, a professor and former psychiatrist in chief at Johns Hopkins Hospital, who says the DSM-5 fails to distinguish between the underlying causes of the symptoms associated with its diagnoses. “This is a field guide to the birds.”

But the handbook also sheds light on the current state of the world’s mental health. The proliferation of medical marijuana has led to a clinical diagnosis of “cannabis withdrawal,” for example. Meanwhile, in a special trial section of the DSM-5 for conditions needing further research, there is now “Internet gaming disorder,” along with suicide-related disorders due to “increased recognition of suicidal ideation.” Here’s the thinking behind the DSM-5’s 15 new mental disorders.

— By Jen Wieczner