Clinician's Guide to DSM-5-TR

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Course Overview
With the development of the new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-V-TR; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2022), professionals who work with people who have mental health diagnoses will be responsible for learning and understanding the changes that have taken place in the new diagnostic manual. The transition from using the previous edition of DSM-V (APA, 2013) to the new DSM-V-TR (APA, 2022) presents a challenge for any clinician. Given the extent of the changes that have occurred for DSM-V, reading through DSM-V-TR and piecing together these changes should be quick but done thoroughly.

This course provides clinicians with the most up-to-date information on DSM-V-TR, relative to the previous edition, DSM-V, including diagnostic criteria needed to assess the presence of various disorders. This course will not only present newly classified disorders and identify those that have been removed or reclassified but will also illuminate any changes to diagnostic criteria for disorders in the previous manual and continue to be defined as disorders in DSM-V-TR. The course will cover the development process used by the DSM-V-TR task force in deciding the diagnostic system's new structure and removing the multiaxial system. Alternative diagnostic systems proposed in place of DSM-V-TR will also be described. 

This basic-level course is designed for social workers, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, mental health counselors, occupational therapists, nurses, advanced practice registered nurses, and other ancillary behavioral health staff. Summary tables are provided to assist with understanding the significant changes that have taken place. Without a strong understanding of these changes, clinicians may be more prone to making psychiatric diagnoses based on out-of-date criteria, or they may make a diagnosis that no longer formally exists (e.g., Asperger’s disorder). This knowledge will benefit treatment in various settings, whether addressing psychiatric symptoms directly or understanding the impact of the symptoms on other aspects of the person’s functioning. This course concludes with a discussion of the controversies and criticisms that arose with the publication of DSM-V-TR and the alternative diagnostic systems that have recently been proposed instead of DSM-V-TR.
 

Learning Outcomes 
Upon the completion of this course, the learner should be able to:

  • Describe the history of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).
  • Explain the structural and organizational changes made in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-V-TR).
  • Identify psychiatric diagnoses that are newly included in DSM-V-TR.
  • Identify changes to psychiatric diagnoses made in the transition from DSM-V to DSM-V-TR, including the recategorization, renaming, and modification of criteria. 
  • List psychiatric disorders and the criteria recommended for further study by DSM-V-TR.
  • Describe the controversies and criticisms arising from the publication of DSM-V-TR and the alternative diagnostic systems proposed in place of DSM-V-TR.
     

About the Author/Presenter 
Dr. Meriah Ward, DNP, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC, is a highly accomplished healthcare professional with a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree and dual certifications as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP-BC) and Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC). They currently serve as a nurse practitioner at Advance Community Health in Raleigh, North Carolina, while holding the adjunct professor position at Old Dominion University's advanced practice registered nursing family nurse practitioner program. In addition to their clinical roles, Dr. Ward is a contract content creator for Continuing Medical Education (CME) and a healthcare advisor for Vance-Granville Community College's medical assistant program.

Dr. Ward has authored numerous continuing education courses on a wide range of topics, including HIV, Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), neurodivergence, and substance use disorder (SUD). Their work primarily addresses healthcare disparities in underserved communities and explores the relationship between social determinants of health and health outcomes. Within the organization, Dr. Ward also serves as a clinical informaticist, actively involved in quality improvement projects to enhance patient care, improve outcomes, and increase provider satisfaction. Dr. Ward completed the MSN, DNP, and Post-Graduate Certificate (PGC) at Old Dominion University in 2020, 2021, and 2024, respectively. They identify as non-binary and use they/them pronouns, and their personal experience as an autistic individual informs their perspective on neurodivergence in healthcare. 


Audience/Accreditations and Approvals 
TRC Healthcare/ NetCE 
In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by TRC Healthcare/ NetCE. TRC Healthcare/NetCE is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team. 
This course is designed for the following healthcare professions (select your profession for details): 
Counselor, Psychology, Social Work

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