On February 10, 2010, Benedict Carey wrote in The New York Times, that the news DSM-5 has been posted on DSM5.org, and is open for public review and comment.

The DSM-5, or the 5th Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, is due out May 2013.  It will be published by the American Psychiatric Association.

There is a lot of “inside baseball” noise in the DSM-5 debate–between experts in the fields of psychiatry, psychology and neurology.  I’m wary, though, of how the popular press reports on it.  It is important, extremely important, but could be often misunderstood.

Important things to focus on when following this debate:

• is there rigorous scientific evidence underpinning the classification?
• does the revised classification reduce or increase the stigma associated with mental illness?
• are patients, currently treated, spared the confusion of a changed diagnosis
• and ultimately, does the DSM-5 become a useful tool in diagnosing, treating, and thus reducing patient’s suffering