The results of a survey exploring counselor attitudes toward the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) are presented. The survey revealed that counselors have mixed attitudes toward the DSM. They view DSM positively and see it as both beneficial to their profession and important in determining treatment. They also believe that DSM-5 revisions reflect the best science available. Counselors worry that the DSM prioritizes diagnosis over treatment, have concerns about proposed DSM-5 revisions, and support developing alternatives to the DSM.
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Alexandria, VA: Author.
2.
FrancesA. (2013). Saving normal: An insider’s revolt against out-of-control psychiatric diagnosis, DSM-5, Big Pharma, and the medicalization of ordinary life. New York, NY: William Morrow.
3.
FrazerP.WesthuisD.DaleyJ. G.PhillipsI. (2009). How clinical social workers are using the DSM-IV: A national study. Social Work in Mental Health, 7, 325-339. doi:10.1080/15332980802052100
4.
GreenbergG. (2013). The book of woe: The DSM and the unmaking of psychiatry. New York, NY: Blue Rider Press.
5.
HolmS. (1979). A simple sequentially rejective multiple test procedure. Scandinavian Journal of Statistics, 6, 65-70.
6.
JampalaV.ZimmermanM.SierlesF. S.TaylorM. A. (1992). Consumers’ attitudes toward DSM-III and DSM-III-R: A 1989 survey of psychiatric educators, researchers, practitioners, and senior residents. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 33, 180-185. doi:10.1016/0010-440X(92)90027-N
7.
JunekR. W. (1983). The DSM-III in Canada: A survey. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry/La Revue Canadienne de Psychiatrie, 28, 182-187.
8.
KortanG.YelkenB.AksarayG.KaptanogluC.SeberG.ErolA. (2000). Attitudes of Turkish psychiatrists towards DSM-III-R. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, 54, 265-268. doi:10.1080/080394800448138
9.
KutchinsH.KirkS. A. (1988). The business of diagnosis: DSM-III and clinical social work. Social Work, 33, 215-220.
10.
MaserJ. D.KaelberC.WeiseR. E. (1991). International use and attitudes toward DSM-III and DSM-III-R: Growing consensus in psychiatric classification. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 100, 271-279. doi:10.1037/0021-843X.100.3.271
11.
MeadM. A.HohenshilT. H.SinghK. (1997). How the DSM system is used by clinical counselors: A national study. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 19, 383-401.
12.
MillerL. S.BergstromD. A.CrossH. J.GrubeJ. W. (1981). Opinions and use of the DSM system by practicing psychologists. Professional Psychology, 12, 385-390. doi:10.1037/0735-7028.12.3.385
13.
NewmanB. S.DannenfelserP. L.ClemmonsV. (2007). The diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders in graduate social work education: Then and now. Journal of Social Work Education, 43, 297-307. doi:10.5175/JSWE.2007.200600106
14.
Patureau-HatchettM. (2008). Counselors’ perceptions of training, theoretical orientation, cultural and gender bias, and use of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV-Text Revision (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from http://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/847/
15.
ProbstB. (2012). Diagnosing, diagnoses, and the DSM in clinical social work. Families in Society, 93, 255-263.
16.
RaskinJ. D.GayleM. C. (2016). DSM-5: Do psychologists really want an alternative?Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 56, 439-456 doi:10.1177/0022167815577897
17.
RemleyT. P.Jr.HerlihyB. (2014). Ethical, legal, and professional issues in counseling (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
18.
SetterbergS. R.ErnstM.RaoU.CampbellM.CarlsonG. A.ShafferD.StaghezzaB. M. (1991). Child psychiatrists’ views of DSM-III-R: A survey of usage and opinions. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 30, 652-658. doi:10.1097/00004583-199107000-00019
19.
SmithD.KraftW. A. (1983). DSM-III: Do psychologists really want an alternative?American Psychologist, 38, 777-785. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.38.7.777
20.
SmithD.KraftW. A. (1989). Attitudes of psychiatrists toward diagnostic options and issues. Psychiatry: Interpersonal and Biological Processes, 52, 66-78.
21.
SomeyaT.TakahashiM.TakahashiS. (2001). Is DSM widely accepted by Japanese clinicians?Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 55, 437-450. doi:10.1046/j.1440-1819.2001.00888.x
22.
StrongT.GaeteJ.SametbandI. N.FrenchJ.EesonJ. (2012). Counsellors respond to the DSM-IV-TR. Canadian Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy, 46, 85-106.
