Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
SpringerLink
Log in

Classifying Madness

A Philosophical Examination of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

  • Book
  • © 2005

Overview

Authors:
  1. Rachel Cooper

    1. University of Lancaster, UK

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

  • A sustained philosophical critique of the D.S.M.
  • Contains archive-based research on the history of the D.S.M.

Part of the book series: Philosophy and Medicine (PHME, volume 86)

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this book

Log in via an institution
eBook USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

Licence this eBook for your library

Institutional subscriptions

Table of contents (5 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-vii
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Introduction

    Pages 1-4

  3. What is Mental Disorder?

    Pages 5-43

  4. Are Mental Disorders Natural Kinds?

    Pages 45-76

  5. The Problem of Theory-Ladenness

    Pages 77-104

  6. The D.S.M. and Feedback in Applied Science

    Pages 105-148

  7. Back Matter

    Pages 149-177
    Download chapter PDF
Back to top

Keywords

About this book

This book is about the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, more commonly known as the D.S.M. The D.S.M. is published by the American Psychiatric Association and aims to list and describe all mental disorders. Within its pages can be found diagnostic criteria for types of depression, types of schizophrenia, eating disorders, anxiety disorders, phobias, sleeping disorders, and so on. Also included are less familiar, and more controversial, conditions: Mathematics Disorder, Caffeine Intoxication, Nicotine Dependence, Nightmare Disorder. It must be admitted that the D.S.M. is not an exciting read. Its pages follow a standard format: Each disorder has a numerical code. This is followed by a description of the disorder, which includes information regarding prevalence, course, and differential diagnosis. Finally explicit criteria that patients must meet to receive the diagnosis are listed. These generally include lists of the symptoms that must be present, restrictions as to the length of time that the symptoms must have been troublesome, and clauses that state that the symptoms must not be better accounted for by some other condition.

Reviews

From the reviews: “Cooper’s Classifying Madness is an important text in the context of these recent works and a useful addition to the broader, more interdisciplinary, philosophy of psychiatry literature. … Its strengths are its straight-forward presentation, clear focus, and sensible reasoning. … The book will be accessible and of interest to a wide audience of philosophers of science, philosophers of psychiatry, psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, and other researchers interested in issues concerning the classification of mental disorders.” (Jonathan Y. Tsou, British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, Vol. 61 (2), June, 2010)

Authors and Affiliations

  • University of Lancaster, UK

    Rachel Cooper

Bibliographic Information

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Back to top

Search

Navigation