Thursday, May 09, 2013

Dr. Tom Insel's Shameful DSM Retreat



Left - Transforming Diagnosis Insel


Right - NIMH Is Not Abandoning the DSM Insel.










In Transforming Diagnosis NIMH Director Thomas Insel said that the DSM was invalid, based on an antiquated system of diagnosis and .... patients deserve better.   Then he retreated, tried to hide and claimed that people were misrepresenting the Transforming Diagnosis article, that the NIMH was just talking about research not clinical practice. Last I checked Diagnosis is a key part of a medical clinical practice. If you are talking about participants or subjects you are talking about research.  If you are talking about patients who deserve better you are talking about clinical practice.  If you say that the DSM is invalid and antiquated you are not supporting the DSM, you are blowing it up.

You can run Dr. Tom but you can't hide.  Your words, your Transforming Diagnosis article are out there in the public domain.  Patients deserve a medical diagnosis based on research.  You said it and I believe it.  I don't believe the excuses offered in your shameful retreat.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Roger, the clear, express language used by Dr. Insel in the Transforming DIAGNOSIS article undermines the DSM regardless of further rationalizations. Invalid is a very strong, negative characerization of the DSM. There is also the matter of the timing, just weeks before the release of the DSM5. The timing suggests the article was meant as a public notice to be considered when the DSM5 is released with much hoopla.