In May 2013, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) published the fifth edition of its (DSM-5). The process that led to the release of the DSM-5 took nearly two decades, with working groups of experts asked to propose revisions based on the most recent research findings. Originally, the APA hoped to introduce a ‘paradigm shift’, in which psychiatric diagnosis would be in greater harmony with neuroscience (Regier ). When it became clear the data supporting these changes were too fragmentary for radical changes, the APA backed off from major revisions (Paris & Phillips, ). In fact, to date, there is no knowledge on whether most conditions listed in the manual are true diseases. In the meantime, while waiting for genetics and neuroscience to elucidate the causes (and guide the treatment) of psychiatric disorders, we should simply acknowledge, ‘our classification of mental disorders is no more than a collection of fallible and limited constructs that seek, but never find, an elusive truth. Nevertheless, this is our best current way of defining and communicating about mental disorders’ (Frances & Widiger, ).
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