DSM-5

The American Psychiatric Association

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders:
Fifth Edition
A Guide for Educators and Guidance
Counsellors
What is the DSM-5?
Released in May 2013 at American Psychiatric Association's (APA) Annual
Meeting, the DSM! is the latest o""icial diagnostic manual "or the
assessment, and diagnosis, o" Mental Disorders#
$hanges "rom the %ourth &dition 'ere made (to )etter characteri*e
sym+toms and )eha,iours o" grou+s o" +eo+le 'ho are currently see-ing
clinical hel+, )ut 'hose sym+toms .'ere/ not 'ell de"ined in DSM-IV.0
S+eci"ic changes rele,ant to educators include1
2+dates to de"initions o" ,arious disorders, as 'ell as u+dated and more
+recise assessment and diagnostic criteria#
Reclassi"ication3Addition o" (Autism S+ectrum Disorder0 (ASD), 'hich
(re"lects a scienti"ic consensus that 4 +re,iously se+arate disorders are
actually a single condition 'ith di""erent le,els o" se,erity05 encom+asses
+re,ious Autistic Disorder (autism), Asperger's disorder, Childhood
Disintegrative Disorder, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder#
Reclassi"ication3Addition o" (S+eci"ic 6earning Disorder0 'hich
com)ines the DSM78 diagnoses o" Reading Disorder, Mathematics
Disorder, Disorder of ritten !"pressions, and #ther $earning Disorders#
7ncludes s+eci"ic ty+es o" reading de"icits descri)ed internationally in ,arious
'ays, such as D%sle"ia and D%scalculia#
DSM-5 In Schools and Classroom
Settings
As an educator, you 'ill li-ely come into contact 'ith students e9+eriencing
mental health issues at least once in your career# :he DSM! can )e an
e9cellent resource to "urther your -no'ledge o" the most common disorders
in children and adolescents (such as AD;D, An9iety, De+ression, S+eci"ic
6earning Disorders, etc)# 7t can also )e in,alua)le 'hen you encounter a
student 'ith a disorder you are not "amiliar 'ith# Much o" the in"ormation
a,aila)le in the DSM! 'as de,elo+ed "or clinicians to use in assessing and
diagnosing Mental Disorders5 ho'e,er it also o""ers a great many insights
into these disorders that can )e used to )etter understand, teach, and connect
'ith your students#
What Do I Do If I Believe a Student
May Be Undiagnosed and Reuire
!esting?
$onsistently document ongoing )eha,iours that you 'itness (out)ursts,
an9iety, +hysical ,iolence)#
$ommunicate 'ith other sta"" mem)ers to ensure their e9+eriences are
consistent 'ith yours#
$ommunicate 'ith the student's "amily < )eha,iours may )e e9+lained
)y sudden changes at home, or there may ha,e )een
assessments3diagnoses that the school 'as not in"ormed o"#
7" you still )elie,e a student re=uires assessment, coordinate 'ith your
administrati,e, resource, and guidance teams#
$ontact a++ro+riate School >oard and De+artment o" &ducation
o""icials, counsellors, school +sychologists, and s+ecialists#

My Student "as Been Diagnosed# $o%
What?
De+ending on the diagnosis, ,arying le,els
o" su++ort and3or ada+tation may )e necessary in your classroom# ?"ten a"ter
+sychoeducational and other "orms o" assessment, you 'ill )e +ro,ided 'ith
a re+ort detailing the "indings o" the assessor, along 'ith suggested su++orts
to )e im+lemented )y the classroom teacher, guidance o""ice, and resource
sta""# :hese su++orts 'ill need to )e tailored to the indi,idual need o" your
student, and may include ()ut are not limited to) measures such as1
Proximal Seating < 'ith disorders such as AD;D, seating a student
close to the teacher3)oard can greatly im+ro,e their "ocus and
+er"ormance#
Additional Time < "or students 'ith an9iety, reading com+rehension,
and +rocessing di""iculties, additional time may )e re=uired to com+lete
tests and assignments# Alternati,ely, assessments can )e trimmed so
that the student has more time +er =uestion#
Reduction in Complexity < i" a student has +rocessing or
com+rehension issues, it may )e necessary to ada+t assessments so that
students are only com+leting the outcome's minimum standards#
One-On-One Support < some students may need additional su++ort
outside o" the classroom# :his can ta-e the "orm o" consistent
a++ointments in the guidance o""ice, e9trahel+ sessions outside o" class
time, resource +ullout, or the ac=uisition o" a tutor#
&'es and Classification Categories in
DSM-5
7n the +re,ious edition (DSM-IV), there 'ere ! a9es, or dimensions, o"
diagnosis
1
1
Axis I: Clinical Syndromes
:his is 'hat 'e ty+ically thin- o" as the diagnosis (e#g#, de+ression,
schi*o+hrenia, social +ho)ia)
Axis II: Developmental Disorders and Personality Disorders
-De,elo+mental disorders include autism and mental retardation, disorders
'hich are ty+ically "irst e,ident in childhood
Personality disorders are clinical syndromes 'hich ha,e a more long lasting
sym+toms and encom+ass the indi,idual's 'ay o" interacting 'ith the 'orld#
:hey include Paranoid, Antisocial, and >orderline Personality Disorders#
Axis III: Physical Conditions 'hich +lay a role in the de,elo+ment,
continuance, or e9acer)ation o" A9is 7 and 77 Disorders
Physical conditions such as )rain in@ury or ;783A7DS that can result in
sym+toms o" mental illness are included here#
Axis I: Severity o! Psychosocial Stressors
&,ents in a +ersons li"e, such as death o" a lo,ed one, starting a ne' @o),
college, unem+loyment, and e,en marriage can im+act the disorders listed in
A9is 7 and 77# :hese e,ents are )oth listed and rated "or this a9is#
Axis : "ighest #evel o! $unctioning
?n the "inal a9is, the clinician rates the +erson's le,el o" "unctioning )oth at
the +resent time and the highest le,el 'ithin the +re,ious year# :his hel+s the
clinician understand ho' the a)o,e "our a9es are a""ecting the +erson and
'hat ty+e o" changes could )e e9+ected#
Theses axes have %een eliminated in DS&-'( although they may still %e
re!erenced %y some clinicians in their reports) In DS&-'( disorders are
grouped into %road categories( including:
Aeurode,elo+mental Disorders
Schi*o+hrenia S+ectrum and ?ther Psychotic
Disorders
>i+olar and Related Disorders
De+ressi,e Disorders
An9iety Disorders
?)sessi,e$om+ulsi,e B Related Disorders
:rauma and StressorRelated Disorders
Dissociati,e Disorders
%eeding and &ating Disorders
Cender Dys+horia
Disru+ti,e, 7m+ulse$ontrol, and $onduct
Disorders
Su)stanceRelated and Addicti,e Disorders
Aeurocogniti,e Disorders
Personality Disorders
?ther Mental Disorders
1
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Created !or I*+ Adolescent Centre !or Treatment %y
Adrienne $raser April ,-./