Hastings Center Report
Patients’ Perspectives Matter in DSM Updates
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders — psychiatry’s diagnostic manual — is revised by expert committees who have historically excluded people diagnosed with mental illness. A new article in the Hastings Center Report argues that they should have a meaningful voice in the revision process for the DSM, which is under way now.
Bringing patients into the process has multiple benefits. It gives them the right to shape decisions that affect them. And it can help point out blind spots that clinicians miss.
The article recommends:
- Creating a dedicated committee made up entirely of people with lived experience of mental illness.
- Requiring at least two patient representatives on every DSM review committee.
In the past, patients were invited to submit perspectives, but their views were ignored. The authors stress that patient inclusion in the DSM revision process should avoid such tokenism.
