Overdiagnosis in Psychiatry : How Modern Psychiatry Lost Its Way While Creating a Diagnosis for Almost All of Life's Misfortunes

Dr. Joel Paris's Overdiagnosis in Psychiatry takes a much-needed look at the dangerous epidemic of unnecessary or incorrect treatments. The last 30 years of psychiatry have seen the development of a system of classification aimed at establishing greater scientific credibility. Unfortunately, the current categories are based entirely on signs and symptoms rather than on causes, which remain unknown. This has inevitably made diagnosis imprecise and uncertain. The result is that well-meaning professionals can have problems separating psychopathology from normality, can be unduly influenced by diagnostic fads, and can ultimately wind up prescribing treatments that do more harm than good. Paris examines prominent examples of overused diagnoses including major depressive disorder, ADHD, bipolar-II disorder, autism spectrum disorders, and PTSD. As one of the few resources to thoroughly examine the critical problem of over-diagnosis in psychiatry today, this title covers how over-diagnosis in psychiatric practice may lead to over-treatment. It considers the complications of the DSM-5 classification system, with particular reference to major depression, bipolar disorder, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). While each of these conditions have given rise to diagnostic fads and epidemics, the classification of mental disorders remains provisional without any biomarkers for mental disorders. It then covers the importance of conservative diagnoses, recognizing that normal variants are not necessarily disorder, and that in many cases, under-, rather than over-diagnosing may be best practice. Cover 1 Overdiagnosis In Psychiatry 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 Introduction 12 Part I Background 22 1 Diagnosis in Psychiatry 24 2 The DSM and Its Discontents 46 3 Overdiagnosis and Over-Treatment 62 4 Science, Philosophy, and Diagnosis 76 Part II Categories Most Likely to Be Overdiagnosed 86 5 How Major Is Major Depression? 88 6 Bipolar Disorders 102 7 Post-traumatic Stress Disorder 116 8 Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder 126 9 Personality and Personality Disorder 138 10 Other Disorders in Which Overdiagnosis Is a Risk 150 Part III Diagnosis and Normality 156 11 How Do We Know What Is Normal? 158 12 Where Do We Go From Here? 170 References 174 Index 194 As one of the few books to thoroughly examine the critical problem of over-diagnosis in psychiatry today, Dr. Joel Paris - author of The Intelligent Clinician's Guide to the DSM-5RG - shows how over-diagnosis leads to over-treatment in Overdiagnosis in Psychiatry: How Modern Psychiatry Lost Its Way While Creating a Diagnosis for Almost All of Life's Misfortune. Leaving no stone unturned, Dr. Paris considers the complications of the DSM-5 system with particular reference to major depression, bipolar disorder, PTSD and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. While each of these conditions have. The costs of excessive medical care are becoming increasingly clear across many domains of health. Dr. Joel Paris is uniquely qualified to reveal and explain the potential harms to mental health in Overdiagnosis in Psychiatry: How Modern Psychiatry Lost Its Way While Creating a Diagnosis for Almost All of Life's Misfortunes.