Professional Resources

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)

Mental health professionals in the United States use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) as the standard classification of mental disorders. It contains a listing of diagnostic criteria for every psychiatric disorder recognized by the US healthcare system.

It is used in settings, such as, inpatient, outpatient, partial hospital, consultation-liaison, clinic, private practice, and primary care, and with community populations and by psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, nurses, occupational and rehabilitation therapists, counselors, and other health and mental health professionals. It is also a necessary tool for collecting and communicating accurate public health statistics about the diagnosis of psychiatric disorders.

The DSM consists of three major components: the diagnostic classification, the diagnostic criteria sets, and the descriptive text. It is used by professionals in a wide array of contexts, including psychiatrists and other physicians, psychologists, social workers, nurses, occupational and rehabilitation therapists, and counselors, as well as by clinicians and researchers of many different orientations (e.g., biological, psychodynamic, cognitive, behavioral, interpersonal, family/systems).

Patient care and safety resources

AltaPointe encourages its providers and referral sources to access valuable resources from national and international healthcare organizations to improve patient care and safety. The following websites may be helpful:

 

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