The controversial fifth edition of the gold-standard medical textbook used for the diagnosis of mental conditions, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM-V, has been re-opened for feedback from the public until June 15th, 2012.
Back in early 2010, I blogged about proposed changes to the DSM, and encouraged readers to submit their thoughts for consideration. Now, two years later, they are opening up the process for comments once again, an unprecedented move. There have been several changes proposed by for DSM-V that have sparked heated debate, including those related to addictions.
As Time Healthland detailed recently, combining substance abuse -- itself, a stigmatizing term -- with substance dependence, as a single "substance use disorder" condition, could potentially cause more problems for people affected. They suggest, for example, that if you have a binge drinking problem, it might make you look like an addict unable to learn how to drink responsibly, and force you into abstinence-based treatment which doesn't fit for you.
I've also blogged previously about the DSM-V's issues surrounding the proposed inclusion of Binge Eating Disorder, and the muddle around the potential inclusion of Internet Addiction.
This is a rare and historic opportunity to provide feedback to those who may define your future. Take this opportunity. As a professional, I have learned more about addiction and related problems from the people who actually live with these difficulties than from any book or lecture. So it's time for you to say how it really is, and have that enshrined within medical practice, rather than remaining a victim of a system that doesn't understand your condition.
Leave your comments at the DSM-V website, for yourself, and for future generations of people affected by addictive behaviors.
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