In Normality Is an Endangered Species: Psychiatric Fads and Overdiagnosis, Dr. Allen Frances, M. D., Professor of Psychiatry and former chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University, states that "fads in psychiatric diagnosis come and go and have been with us for as long as there has been psychiatry." Frances believes that we are currently experiencing at least 3 "false epidemics" including autism, attention deficit and childhood bipolar disorder. And when the DSM5 finally comes out, there will be more.
Frances believes that "epidemics in psychiatry are caused by changing fashions - the people don't change, the labels do." Since there are no objective tests for mental illness, "what is diagnosed as mental disorders is very sensitive to professional and social context," including the readily available Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), which gave "non-clinicians" a tool for good as well as bad. In addition, Frances identifies other forces contributing to overdiagnosis including pharmaceutical companies, an overly "perfectionistic" society, the internet, and even "patient and family advocacy groups." The article is an interesting read and Frances places the blame on all within our society. To read his article, click here.
