The diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders fifth edition dsm 5 cardwell c nuckols phd cnuckolselitecorp1com wwwcnuckolscom history of the dsm o 1840 1 dx us census idiocy insanity also in the 1840s southern alienists discovered a malady called drapetomania the inexplicable mad longing of a slave for freedom o 1880 7 dxs us census . For the last six decades the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders fifth edition dsm v and its predecessors have served to standardize the diagnosis of psychiatric disorders for clinical practice and research. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders dsm 5 the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders dsm 5 is the product of more than 10 years of effort by hundreds of international experts in all aspects of mental health. The dsm is used as a standardized and centralized guide by mental health professionals including clinicians drug regulation agencies and health insurance companies among others to classify and build actionable direction with respect to mental health disorders diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders 5th edition dsm 5