DSM-6 may add biological factors to psychiatry’s diagnostic manual
Psychiatrist who served on DSM strategy committee says genetics and immune factors may inform diagnosis, though diagnosis remains clinical
The next edition of psychiatry’s diagnostic manual, the DSM-6, is being planned to include biological factors such as genetic risk and signs of inflammation, according to psychiatrist Dr. Anand Kumar, who served on the DSM Strategy Committee and was influential in discussions about the changes. Kumar said the update would add biological context to mental-health diagnosis, in a way comparable to how genes and other factors inform understanding of heart disease or diabetes.