so inclusive it risks mislabelling millions of healthy people as mentally ill, potentially leading to increased stigma and medication

IN RADICAL changes to the way mental health conditions are diagnosed, what was once considered an unruly child's temper tantrum could soon be labelled ''disruptive mood dysregulation disorder''.
If a widow's grief lasts longer than a fortnight then she might be diagnosed with ''major depressive disorder''. When the mother in a bitter custody battle tries to turn a child against the father, it might create ''parental alienation disorder''.
These are among new conditions proposed for the fifth edition of the psychiatrist's bible, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), which is due to be finalised next year.
The proposed changes have caused an international outcry. The Association for Psychological Science, the American Counselling Association, the British Psychological Society and leading psychiatrists are calling for the draft of the new edition to be subject to independent scientific review.
They fear it is so inclusive it risks mislabelling millions of healthy people as mentally ill, potentially leading to increased stigma and medication.
Doctors in Australia are also concerned, some arguing the revised manual - which has been produced by the American Psychiatric Association since 1952 and is used globally by psychiatrists and psychologists to diagnose mental disorders - is turning unhappiness into a disease.