#717 Allan Horwitz - DSM: A History of Psychiatry's Bible
RECORDED ON AUGUST 5th 2022.
Dr. Allan Horwitz is Board of Governors Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Rutgers University. He has also chaired the Mental Health and Medical Sociology Sections of the American Sociological Association, as well as the Psychiatric Sociology Section of the Society for the Study of Social Problems. His research has focused on the sociology of mental health and illness. In 2006, he received the Leonard I. Pearlin Award for Distinguished Contributions to the Sociological Study of Mental Health from the American Sociological Association’s Section on Sociology of Mental Health. In addition, he has published several books, the most recent one being DSM: A History of Psychiatry’s Bible.
In this episode, we focus on DSM. We start with a bit of the history of Psychiatry, and how the first psychiatric diagnoses appeared. We talk about the creation of the DSM, and its cultural impact. We cover three interpretations of the DSM: scientific progress; harmful impacts; and the social perspective. We talk about how mental disorders are researched, and their characteristics. We get into the DSM-5, and its promises. We discuss the merits and shortcomings of a biological approach to mental disorders. Finally, we talk about the future of the DSM, its positive impact, and what should be changed.
Time Links:
Intro
The history of Psychiatry
How and when psychiatric diagnoses first appeared
The cultural impact of the DSM
How diagnostic criteria were developed
Three interpretations of the DSM: scientific progress; harmful impacts; the social perspective.
Researching mental disorders
The characteristics of mental disorders
The DSM-5 and its promises
A biological approach
The future of the DSM
The positive impact of the DSM
What should be changed?
Follow Dr. Horwitz’s work!
Follow Dr. Horwitz’s work:
Our first interview (What’s Normal? Reconciling Biology and Culture): https://youtu.be/syZ1FKcFwLU
Rutgers page: https://bit.ly/2KraOYI
ResearchGate profile: https://bit.ly/37U6hWQ
Amazon page: https://amzn.to/2LzIMuU
DSM: https://amzn.to/3yMi744