December 09, 2012
Today, Allen Frances, MD, who chaired the Task Force responsible for DSM-IV,
published his concerns for the potential harm to all illness groups if DSM-5 Somatic Symptom Disorder (SSD) criteria go ahead as they stand.
In the DSM-5 field trials, one in six patients with serious diseases like cancer, heart disease and diabetes met the criteria for an additional diagnosis of "Somatic Symptom Disorder". Over 25% of the "functional somatic" field trial study group (irritable bowel and chronic widespread pain) were coded with 'SSD'.
For his last DSM-5 commentary (December 02), Dr Frances received a staggering number of hits and link backs on media sites and blogs.
To demonstrate to the SSD Work Group and DSM-5 Task Force the strength of concern for the implications of the SSD criteria I would like as much exposure and traffic to this new SSD blog post as we can muster.
The DSM-5 manual texts have not yet been finalized for the publishers and it's not too late to put pressure on the Work Group to reconsider their proposals.
The SSD criteria will impact all patient groups and families with children with chronic medical diseases and conditions; also the elderly, in which there are higher rates of cancer, heart disease and age-onset diabetes - all three diseases cited by the SSD Work Group as candidates for a diagnosis of a mental health disorder if the patient also meets the criteria for "SSD'.
Please circulate the link for Dr Frances' opposition to these SSD criteria far and wide on ME, CFS and FM forums, Facebook, Twitter, blogs and websites and all health and patient advocacy platforms - especially US sites.
Please forward the link to your contacts and ask them to forward on to others and to flag up Dr Frances' Psychology Today blog post link wherever they can. We want thousands of hits on this post.
We also need to reach IBS, GWI, cancer, heart disease, diabetes and health advocacy sites for all medical conditions, since all patient groups stand to be hurt by these DSM-5 SSD proposals, also mental health advocacy platforms and medical professionals.
It is expected that a version of Dr Frances' commentary may also be published on Huff Po and several other platforms.
Here is the link for the Psychology Today Blog and with thanks, in advance, for your help with publicising Dr Frances' SSD commentary:
Psychology Today
DSM5 in Distress blog
The DSM's impact on mental health practice and research
Allen Frances, M.D., was chair of the DSM-IV Task Force and is currently professor emeritus at Duke.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/dsm5-in-distress/201212/mislabeling-medical-illness-mental-disorder
Mislabeling Medical Illness As Mental Disorder
The eleventh DSM 5 mistake needs an eleventh hour correction.
Allen J Frances MD | December 9, 2012
Allen Frances said,
"...Adding to the woes of the medically ill could be one of the biggest problems caused by DSM 5. It will do this in two ways: 1) by encouraging a quick jump to the erroneous conclusion that someone's physical symptoms are 'all in the head'; and 2) by mislabeling as mental disorders what are really just the normal emotional reactions that people understandably have in response to a medical illness..."
Suzy Chapman said,
"...the requirement of 'medically unexplained' symptoms is replaced by much looser and more subjective 'excessive thoughts, behaviors and feelings' and the clinician's perception of 'dysfunctional illness belief' or 'excessive preoccupation' with the bodily symptom.
"That, and a duration of at least six months, is all that is required to tick the box for a bolt-on diagnosis of a mental health disorder – Colorectal cancer + SSD; Angina + SSD; Type 2 diabetes + SSD; IBS + SSD..."
Full commentary:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog...2/mislabeling-medical-illness-mental-disorder
