The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, also known as DSM, is a resource for individuals in the psychiatric field and other clinical and social work fields. It is widely used by professionals and students in the United States. This manual, which is produced by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), outlines mental illnesses by providing diagnostic criteria and also reports the statistics regarding the occurrence of these conditions.

The existence of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders grew out of appeals from the psychiatric community that are believed to date back to the mid-19th century. Professionals had a growing desire for a uniform classification system for psychiatric conditions. This led to the publication of several manuals preceding the publication of the DSM.

In modern times, professionals use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders for a number of reasons. To begin with, it is widely relied upon to help with the task of diagnosing individuals who are suspected of having mental disorders. The DSM can be used for this purpose because it outlines criteria that allegedly constitute a particular problem. A mental health professional can therefore compare the symptoms or behaviors reported or observed in a patient to those listed in the manual to help determine whether a person is a candidate for diagnosis of a certain mental illness. Likewise, the manual can be used as a basis to draw the conclusion that a person does not have a particular illness.

The DSM is also useful in other ways. One of them is that it provides statistics that reveal how common or rare the outlined mental disorders are. The manual also provides codes for mental disorders that can be used in a clinical administrative setting for record maintenance and billing.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is not only used by individuals who diagnose mental disorders, such as psychiatrists and psychologists, but is also commonly used by students, pharmaceutical companies, and social workers. This resource has changed over time. Several revised editions have been released since the first version was published in 1952.

Revisions that have been made include the addition of some mental disorders, the deletion of some mental disorders, and the updating of statistics. This resource manual does not exist without debate. Some individuals are skeptical about some of the conditions that are listed in the manual, and some disagree with the manner in which certain disorders are classified.