This book by Paula Caplan, published in 1996, looks at the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).
In 2013 the most recent DSM edition (DSM-5) was produced, expanding even further – to well over 600 – the number of categories of apparent mental illness.
Prof. Allen Frances, who chaired the Task Force that created Version 4 of DSM (1994), has admitted that “There is no reason to believe that DSM-5 is safe or scientifically sound … The science simply isn’t there now……A research dead end.”
Concerning Paula Caplan’s book, the publishers say:
“How are decisions made about who is normal? As a former consultant to those who construct the bible of the mental-health professions,” the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), Paula Caplan offers and insider’s look at the process by which decisions about abnormality are made. Cutting through the professional psycho-babble, Caplan clearly assesses the astonishing extent to which scientific methods and evidence are disregarded as the handbook is developed. A must read for consumers and practitioners of the mental-health establishment, which through its creation of potentially damaging interpretations and labels, has the power to alter our lives in devastating ways.”
You can find out more from here.
