Psychiatrists Expand Definition of Addiction for DSM-5

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Psychiatrists and mental health specialists who are revising the manual used to diagnose mental disorders have just agreed to revise the definition of addiction. According to The New York Times, this decision could mean that millions more people will be diagnosed as addicted. The impact will affect health insurers, taxpayers and families of patients across the nation.

The manual, known as the DSM (for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), is currently undergoing its fifth revision and is scheduled to be finalized by the end of the year and released in May 2013. The manual is used to by insurance companies to determine coverage, by courts to determine the mental fitness of defendants and by a host of other government agencies and private organizations. The American Psychiatric Association is responsible for the content of the DSM-5.…

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