Psychopathology

Psychopathology
Name
Institutional Affiliation
Strengths and weaknesses of DSM-4
The DSM enables clinicians to accurately diagnose and characterize mental illnesses. DSM-4 was published in 1994. The edition was a revision of the older DSM-3. During the revision, some conditions were re-categorized or renamed, while others were removed. It was later revised in 2000. The main advantage of the manual is that it provided clinicians with a consistent diagnostic guide. In that way, clinicians can agree with issues such as diagnosis, which would previously raise controversy based on the inter-relations that exist between various mental illnesses.
The main drawback of DSM-IV is the axial system that had categorized mental illnesses into five main groups, which made it hard for clinicians to understand conditions that presented with almost similar characteristics. Also, some mental symptoms could not be definitively defined using the five broad classifications.
DSM-5 (2013)
The fifth edition of the DSM was published in 2013 after a revision of the DSM-4. The manual keeps on being changes. For example, in the year 2017, the DSM committee approved changes to ICD-10-CM that is concerned with the withdrawal of psychotropic substances such as opioids (“Updates to DSM-5 Criteria, Text, and ICD-10 Codes,” n.d.). Despite the obvious advantage of the updated manual which has to do with consistency in diagnosis and management of mental disorders, the edition received a lot of criticism. The task force that was responsible for making changes to the manual received the bigger share of the criticisms.

There were concerns that the task force was under the influence of political policies. Also, there were concerns regarding the effects of changing aspects that were related to clinical diagnosis and treatments. According to Kamens (2010), some editions in the DSM-5 might have several negative consequences. For example, the author states that the revisions would result in millions of people to be diagnosed with conditions that they do not have, which might reflect poorly on the psychiatric profession.
DSM-4 vs. DSM-5
The latest edition, DSM-5, explains the etiology of mental conditions better than the DSM-4. DSM-4 is rigid on the manner in which mental disorders are classified through the use of absolute boundaries that separate a condition from another, including those that share symptoms. On the other hand, DSM-5 has incorporated a dimensional approach. The dimensional approach in diagnosis of conditions relies on the etiology of the condition (Regier, Kuhl, & Kupfer, 2013). In addition, DSM-5 clearly categorizes mental disorders in an orderly manner. Cognitive conditions are classified under neurocognitive disorders. Before the edition in 2013, there was a letter that was submitted to the APA to include humanistic psychology in the DSM manual. The latest edition is, therefore, better suited to deal with humanistic psychology.
Abnormal behavior
People are said to exhibit abnormal behavior when their habits deviate from what is generally recognized as normal. There is no clear distinction on what behavior should be considered abnormal behavior. For a behavior to be termed abnormal, normal behavior has to exist. The lines are drawn culturally when certain people who share a culture agree on what is normal, and the deviation from that normal is considered abnormal behavior. Human behavior keeps on changing. The type of behavior that was considered abnormal half a century ago might not be abnormal now. Also, a definition of abnormal behavior depends on the situational context where a behavior may be considered normal in a certain situation, but abnormal in another.
References
Kamens, S. (2010). Controversial issues for the future DSM-V. Society for Humanistic Psychology Newsletter.
Regier, D. A., Kuhl, E. A., & Kupfer, D. J. (2013). The DSM‐5: Classification and criteria changes. World Psychiatry, 12(2), 92-98.
Updates to DSM-5 Criteria, Text, and ICD-10 Codes. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm/updates-to-dsm-5