The Impact of 'Statistical' in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)

• Activity Number: 265
• Type: Invited
• Date/Time: Tuesday, August 5, 2014 : 8:30 AM to 10:20 AM
• Sponsor: Mental Health Statistics Section
• Author(s): Helena Chmura Kraemer *+
• Companies: University of Pittsburgh
• Keywords: diagnosis ; psychiatry

Abstract

The DSM is a compilation of evidence-based consensus diagnostic definitions designed to detect psychiatric disorders. Over the years, the word "statistical" in DSM has taken on different meanings as the importance of statistical reasoning, concepts and application have evolved in the field of Psychiatry. The original definition (DSM-I, II) was that of counting, i.e., for taking census counts of wards and hospitals. Later Cohen and Fleiss in essence developed the methods for evaluating categorical (binary) statistical diagnoses for DSM-III. Evidence-based methods were emphasized for DSM-IV. The DSM-5 process began with a launch conference co-chaired by Shrout and Kraemer, involving statisticians and methodologists with long experience in psychiatric research, signaling the intention to involve statistical reasoning and methods in the DSM-5 development to an unprecedented extent. The present discussion focuses on the types of problems addressed in the DSM-5 process, and a speculation on the continuing contribution of statistical reasoning and methods to progress in mental health issues. Such problems include biometric nomenclature, sampling, measurement, design as well as analy