Page "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" Paragraph 13

In 1974, the decision to create a new revision of the DSM was made, and Robert Spitzer was selected as chairman of the task force.

The initial impetus was to make the DSM nomenclature consistent with the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems ( ICD ), published by the World Health Organization.

The revision took on a far wider mandate under the influence and control of Spitzer and his chosen committee members.

One goal was to improve the uniformity and validity of psychiatric diagnosis in the wake of a number of critiques, including the famous Rosenhan experiment.

There was also a need to standardize diagnostic practices within the US and with other countries after research showed that psychiatric diagnoses differed markedly between Europe and the USA.

The establishment of these criteria was an attempt to facilitate the pharmaceutical regulatory process.