now that I have located this thread again I thought I would do a bit of updating. for example ...

when I first posted this thread back in 2013 the DSM 5 was just published by the American Psychiatric Association. The APA is the nationwide agency here in america where one of its jobs is to over see, and put together what mental disorders there are in america, what their diagnostics are, and much more.When I first posted this thread American treatment providers were just transferring over to using the new standards, rules, tests, diagnostics,....put int place by the APA. Treatment providers were given a two year grace period where they would not be held accountable for using outdated standards.

it is now 2018, which means that deadline has come and gone. Treatment providers in the USA must now all be using the DSM 5 and the new mental health system of tests and such. what happens if they dont well if caught they can be prosecuted on many laws depending upon the state they live in. here in my own state I know someone who was prosecuted on NY's state law of causing emotional / physical harm to a mentally challenged person because using the out dated diagnostics and procedures caused the person to be diagnosed with a mental disorder they they did not have, and treatment options caused emotional and physical damage.

Im not saying people in general cant use outdated terms and such when talking about their mental disorders, just that treatment providers are no longer allowed to use outdated diagnostics, outdated tests...

the next update I would like to do in this thread is that now 5 years later, after the new standards went into place the rest of the world is now also using the DSM 5.........Along with.......their own manuals.

as some of you know a few months back I was doing some research and part of that involved my contacting american embassy's around the world to verify what diagnostic manuals that country uses and what dissociative disorders they have in those countries.. the answers I got back was that every country around the world now uses the DSM 5 along with their own countries diagnostic manuals.

Now that all the countries of the world are now on the same page. this means that if someone from another country moves to america their diagnosis wont change, they will still be able to be treated for their mental disorders. and vice versa now americans traveling to other countries or moving to other countries can now have continuity of care also.

another updating to this thread.... since the posting of this thread treatment providers have received many updates called Supplemental Updates from the APA on various mental disorders, definitions, diagnostics .... So for example the testing process that a friend you may now did a month ago or a year ago is not going to be the same tests and testing process that you may go through today, tomorrow ....These Supplemental Updates are not available to just anyone. Usually just treatment providers, but sometimes they are opened up in survey form after the changes have been in place and used for a while.

In other words people can research online and self diagnose but most likely they will not be able to do so with accuracy and treatment providers will know when someone is trying to fit their self into a mental disorder.

for example most do not know that OSDD is actually a "category" so to speak, Thats what I call it anyway. it has a complete listing of other dissociative disorder names that is not public. A person can tell their treatment provider they have OSDD and which diagnostics from the DSM 5 but they cant explain what that number means, what the actual disorder name for number 1 diagnostic is, or number 2 diagnostic is.........Unless they have gone through the diagnostic process and told the actual disorder name of their other specified dissociative disorder.

there is a reason why this was put into place.... many people were diagnosed and thrown into a melting pot diagnosis in each mental disorder called NOS, when they actually didnt have a disorder or the treatment provider could not figure out what that persons problem was, .... all kinds of reasons americans were dumped into the NOS diagnosis's.

now people are not just randomly diagnosed and shoved into a melting pot diagnosis for what ever reasons. now any time anyone sees the wording "other Specified" or its abbreviation "OS" that means the diagnosing treatment provider must tell you why you are in that category and what your actual disorder name is that is not listed in the DSM 5.

example on my files my OSDD diagnosis is wrote like this.....

diagnosis...... OSDD- Macropsia, tachypsychia, mixed 38 (my diagnosis category first, then the two actual other dissociative disorder names then severity and number from one of the testing scales)

if you read the DSM5 diagnostics for OSDD you will find some examples of disorder names but you will not find the complete listing, and what each disorder labels defining information. for that you get from your treatment providers.

my point please dont use this thread for diagnostic purposes, whats in the information is only what I quoted from the DSM 5. it does not contain any of the information that you will get from your treatment providers and from the Supplemental Updates that treatment providers receive.

like the disclaimer at the bottom of the page says, nothing on psych central is meant for diagnostic purposes. please consult own treatment providers.