Description
The manual that shapes how mental health conditions are diagnosed is changing. The next edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM, is set to include biology for the first time.
Right now, diagnosing conditions like ADHD and depression relies on symptoms, self-reports, and a clinician’s judgment, not lab tests. Geriatric psychiatrist Anand Kumar, who until recently served on a strategic committee for the DSM, pushed to change that. The new edition will introduce “biological factors.” These are measurable processes in the body that are linked to a condition but aren’t yet a diagnostic test.
Rae Jacobson asks Anand what this shift could mean for people with ADHD, depression, and more. They talk about more targeted treatment, why there may never be a single test for ADHD, and the risks — including what happens to the people a new test doesn’t capture.
For more on this topic
Read: Anand’s article in The Conversation https://theconversation.com/im-part-of-the-team-writing-the-next-bible-of-psychiatry-for-the-first-time-the-dsm-will-use-biology-to-understand-mental-disorders-288064
Watch: Do we need a new way to talk about ADHD? https://youtu.be/C4In1kVMj28?si=BjaV-H-9KkenNnwf
Timestamps
00:00 How ADHD and depression are diagnosed today
03:12 Alzheimer’s: the one psychiatric condition with a blood test
05:18 Why there’s no single test for ADHD
13:07 Can a brain scan diagnose ADHD?
14:18 Could a blood test guide depression treatment?
For a transcript and more resources, visit Hyperfocus on Understood.org. You can also email us at hyperfocus@understood.org.
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