What's in a Label?

In Psychology, we talk about the process of making a diagnosis, which is labeling the psychological disorder from which the person is suffering. The Diagnositic Statistical Manual (DSMIV) is the most widely used manual from which we diagnose. It is in the process of being updated, with the DSMV scheduled to be published in 2013. Recently, there have been numerous news articles regarding some of the proposed changes that are going to occur. On Monday, January 30th, there was an article in Newsday about how the Pervasive Developmental Disorders (i.e. Autism, Asperger's) may be changing and some potential implications of such changes. It is an excellent article to read and get a better understanding of some of the reasons we use labels in Psychology and the possible impact of them.