I think it’s mostly a historical accident but also has to do with practical issues. Natural language and continous phenomena don’t go well hand in hand, and the criteria have to be applicable in the clinical setting and the guidelines. DSM is the basis for most psychiatric research, and almost all of the disorders currently described in it are categorical with clear cutoff points instead of continous. Psychiatrists acknowledge this problem, and DSM-5 is going for a more dimensional approach as opposed to categorical.
I think it’s mostly a historical accident but also has to do with practical issues. Natural language and continous phenomena don’t go well hand in hand, and the criteria have to be applicable in the clinical setting and the guidelines. DSM is the basis for most psychiatric research, and almost all of the disorders currently described in it are categorical with clear cutoff points instead of continous. Psychiatrists acknowledge this problem, and DSM-5 is going for a more dimensional approach as opposed to categorical.
The official source is here.
Very interesting! Sounds like a positive development. Interesting that it’s the DSM at the cutting edge, I assumed it was a book of standards.