Narcissistic Personality Disorder to be eliminated from new DSM?

[sKePTiKal]

Imagine... I open up the current issue of Wired magazine, that I read for the creativity & science & tech in it... and there is an article titled "The Book of Woe", which is part interview of Dr. Allen Frances... part expose on the process of deciding what is/isn't in the DSM-5... and part explanation of the inner workings of the "establishment" of the American Psychiatric Association. It's written by a therapist - Gary Greenberg. He's posted more about this on his website (garygreenbergonline.com). I have no idea what his credentials are... but the article seemed to be written mostly objectively.

Apparently, disagreement and dissent over the proposed changes is growing. And there is more to the discussion than what we addressed. More at stake, too, I think.

[JustKathy]

Thanks for posting that Amber. I bookmarked his blog. He has some interesting thoughts.

[Guest]

Ditto. Amber, thanks. Having read, I tend also to think "rank incompetence" - which he does not? - because really, I tend to think that in general, because conspiracy takes far more effort and more intelliigence than such groups of people exhibit...but I could just be blissfully ignorant. Again!

[sKePTiKal]

I can't tell if he's thinking there's a conspiracy or not. I know in the article he questioned perhaps a blindness of arrogance... which could appear to some as a conspiracy. I think the universe is way too random for there to be as much organized conspiracy as some (even myself some days) fear.

I am glad that a discussion is beginning to happen, through the concerns voiced by the "dissenting" group. I am glad that some people said "HEY.... wait a minute..." in a way that couldn't be hidden behind closed committee doors. I am glad that assumptions and premises and processes are being questioned and double-checked...

... because the importance and function and authority of the DSM is such, that it directly affects what the professional community considers "normal" and "abnormal"... thereby affecting many, many individual people. To me, that's way more important than even the issue of using drugs to "cure" emotional or psychological issues and the possibility that there are unethical connections between the pharma/psychiatric communities. And that's an issue I do care about. (Greenberg's article on the placebo effect & depression is most interesting!)

[Dr. Richard Grossman]

Hi everybody,

Here's a Boston Globe article, "Who, Me, a Narcissist? by Karen Weintraub, on the issue of whether Narcissistic Personality Disorder should be eliminated from the new DSM:

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/articles/2011/01/24/many_experts_are_considering_a_redefinition_of_narcissism/?p1=News_links

Also, there's a section on "Narcissism:  How Common Is It" and the 9 defining characteristics of the disorder from the current DSM.

Richard