June 4, 2013

David Kupfer and DSM-5

The highly controversial guidelines on what is and isn’t a psychiatric disorder (DSM-5) were published a fortnight ago by the American Psychiatric Association. Debate has raged over whether this influential document is still fit-for-purpose, whether it over-medicalises normal behaviour and whether too many decisions are influenced by financial interests. Some experts say it is unlikely to affect day to day care in the UK, whilst others feel the ‘labels’ used in diagnosis have profound consequences and that it may impact on research.

The lead figure overseeing its content, Prof. David Kupfer, was in the UK for the first time since publication to speak at a conference at King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry.

Prof David Kupfer is Chair of DSM-5 Task Force and Professor of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh