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What Does DSM IV Stand For?

Nearly 18 million Americans suffered from a mental disorder in 2004, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV), is used to diagnose these conditions.

  1. History

    • The first edition of the DSM was published in 1952 by the American Psychiatric Association. The fourth edition was published in 1994, with a revised version released in July of 2000.

    Purpose

    • The DSM-IV is designed to help medical professionals correctly diagnose patients. It standardizes how mental disorders are defined so that clinicians and researchers are both using the same classifications. This standardization is also important for accurate public health statistics, according to the American Psychiatric Association.

    Diagnostic Categories

    • Classifications in the DSM-IV include disorders of cognition, mood, anxiety, psychosis, eating, personality, impulse-control and substance abuse. The manual can be used to diagnose both children and adults.

    Future

    • As with previous editions of the DSM, the fourth edition will be replaced with a fifth edition, which is scheduled for publication in 2012.

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