Böcker av Dwayne Colt

As a gateway to support for those who experience significant distress orimpairment as a result of cognitive, affective, developmental, social,environmental, or other personal/interpersonal challenges, mental disorderdiagnosis is a common practice in mental health professions. In order to practiceeffectively and ethically, diagnosticians should develop a keen understanding ofthe diagnostic guidelines they follow in research and practice. The Diagnostic andStatistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM) is a dominant diagnosticclassification used throughout the world. Because it impacts innumerable lives insignificant ways, the DSM should be used judiciously by diagnosticians. Byunderstanding the history and development of the DSM within a clinicalbackdrop, diagnosticians can better understand the fundamental strengths andlimitations of this hegemonic manual. In addition, understanding the history anddevelopment of specific mental disorders can help diagnosticians betterunderstand the conditions they diagnose and facilitate a more rigorous and carefuldiagnostic process. This Book uses paper format, where each chapter stands as itsown study. Using a paper Book format, dissemination via peer-reviewed journalsis more easily facilitated so that the papers may be available to a wide bodyof readership in order to promote more judicious use of the DSM andmental disorder diagnosis. Variations of four chapters in this paper-formatdissertation have been published in peer-reviewed journals, and a fifth has beenaccepted and is in press. In addition to a review of the historical developmentsof the DSM, I review the historical developments of autism andAsperger's Disorder