The Book of Woe the DSM and the unmaking of psychiatry
<b>A riveting exposé of the psychiatric profession's bible from psychotherapist Gary Greenberg, revealing the deeply flawed process by which mental disorders are invented and uninvented — and how suffering has been turned into a commodity.</b><br/> <br/> Since its first edition in 1952, the <i>Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders</i> (<i>DSM</i>) has been regarded as the leading authority on mental-health diagnosis and research. But throughout the <i>DSM</i>'s various iterations, debate has raged over which psychological problems constitute mental illness — homosexuality, for instance, was a mental illness until 1973, and Asperger's gained recognition in 1994, only to see its status challenged nearly 20 years later.<br/> <br/> By examining the history of the <i>DSM</i> and the controversies over its latest revisions, Greenberg challenges the status quo of modern psychiatric practice. He shows how difficult — even impossible — it is to rigorously differentiate mental illness from everyday suffering; and he sheds light on how the politics behind mental-health classification has caused diagnosis rates of autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and bipolar disorder to skyrocket.<br/> <br/> Drawing on interviews with people on all sides of the debate, on historical examples, and on case studies from his own practice, Greenberg ultimately argues for a more humanistic approach to psychiatry. A combination of lively reportage and biting analysis, <i>The Book of Woe</i> will prove invaluable for expert and casual readers alike.