Classification and Diagnosis in Psychiatry: The Emperor's Clothes Provide Illusory Court Comfort
Psychiatry Psychology and LawPublished 1 April 2007
Graham Mellsop, Shailesh Kumar
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SJR score0.58
SNIP1.23
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Abstract
When considering psychiatric evidence courts often take great comfort in the use of labels from official psychiatric classificatory systems, despite the medico-legal criteria usually being worded in non-diagnostic terms and despite it becoming increasingly difficult to defend the use of a purely categorical diagnostic framework. Referenced support for the view that a rethink of the classificatory systems in psychiatry is necessary and is happening, is summarised. The argument is made that the comfort the courts take from the present DSM-IV and ICD categories is illusory.
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PsychologyMedicineArts and Humanities
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