A Warm Welcome to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition?

The present article discusses the reaction of psychiatric professionals and specifically the academia in Iran to the publication of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, (DSM-5). It is argued that the reaction to changes and the approach of the new revision of DSM has been neither technical, nor emotional. This argument has further been examined for the previous revisions of the DSM and the conclusion is that the Iranian psychiatry has become alienated from the need and necessity of classification of mental disorders from a local and national point of view. The reason for this alienation has further been discussed and has been focused on the lack of contact between the psychiatric catchment areas and the academia. Declaration of interest: None.