It has the distinctly un-catchy, abbreviated title "DSM-5," and is known to no one outside the world of mental health.
But, even before its publication on May 22, the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, psychiatry's dictionary of disorders, has triggered a bitter row that stretches across the Atlantic and has fueled a profound debate about how modern society should treat mental disturbance.
Critics claim that the American Psychiatric Association's increasingly voluminous manual will see millions of people unnecessarily categorized as having psychiatric disorders. For example, shyness in children, temper tantrums and depression following the death of a loved one could become medical problems, treatable with drugs. So could Internet addiction.
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