tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772182113499451603.post2402774102475369271..comments2024-03-27T10:50:53.692-05:00Comments on Real Psychiatry: Elimination of Homosexuality from the DSM - An Old But Important StoryGeorge Dawson, MD, DFAPAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03474899831557543486noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772182113499451603.post-39509476263878247472013-12-21T10:20:29.894-06:002013-12-21T10:20:29.894-06:00Science? Science was never the basis for putting ...Science? Science was never the basis for putting in the manual nor pulling it out. Like most DSM Dx, it was reliable (we could agree on who was a homosexual) but not valid (not a taxonomic disease state). If we were going to be scientific, 90% of DSM would be eliminated along with homosexuality.<br /><br />The reason it was in to begin with is that at the time it was socially acceptable to call it a disorder, and by the beginning of the seventies it wasn't. Spitzer can rationalize at as science all he want, but the real reason he did this was obvious. Sacorides and the opponents obviously thought the diagnosis was very scientific but they thankfully lost a political battle. <br /><br />So once again, we see APA for what it is, a political guild (and a bad one at that, as you pointed out), not a scientific organization. Please read Ghaemi's latest op-ed at Psychiatric Times, in which he talks about pragmatism, not science as the guiding hand of DSM.James O'Brien, M.D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/14994350319492582321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772182113499451603.post-14680714870650909302013-12-20T13:10:08.547-06:002013-12-20T13:10:08.547-06:00For readers unfamiliar with the concepts raised in...For readers unfamiliar with the concepts raised in the intial two posts I would suggest taking a look at the document: "Standards of Care for the Health of Transsexual, Transgender, and Gender Nonconforming People". Version 7 was last updated in 2011 and it is available in full text as both the original journal article and .pdf form from the WPATH web site at: http://www.wpath.org/ George Dawson, MD, DFAPAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03474899831557543486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772182113499451603.post-16811981762967513542013-12-20T06:45:33.139-06:002013-12-20T06:45:33.139-06:00"A common criticism of psychiatry is that it ..."A common criticism of psychiatry is that it is unscientific or pseudoscientific and yet one of the main points in this historic decision was the rejection of psychoanalytic research that was considered unscientific."<br /><br />To be brutally honest, many critics saw the inclusion of "Gender identity disorder" in the DSM3 to be continuation of homosexuality under a different name.<br /><br />The APA has chosen to continue it as 'Gender dysphoria' in the DSM5.Clarknoreply@blogger.com