Overdiagnosis in Psychiatry: How Modern Psychiatry Lost Its Way While Creating a Diagnosis for Almost All of Life's Misfortunes - Paperback

by Joel Paris (Author)

Dr. Joel Paris' Overdiagnosis in Psychiatry takes a much-needed look at the dangerous epidemic of unnecessary or incorrect treatments in contemporary psychiatry. The last 30 years of psychiatry have seen the development of a system of classification aimed at establishing greater scientific credibility. Unfortunately, the current categories are based entirely on signs and symptoms rather than on causes, which remain unknown. This has inevitably made diagnosis imprecise and uncertain. The result is that well-meaning professionals can have problems separating psychopathology from normality, can be unduly influenced by diagnostic fads, and can ultimately wind up prescribing treatments that do more harm than good. Paris examines prominent examples of overused diagnoses including major depressive disorder, ADHD, bipolar-II disorder, autism spectrum disorders, and PTSD. This new edition expands on Dr. Paris' argument and offers a new section on the link between aggressive psychopharmacology and current diagnostic practices, as well as on transdiagnostic approaches to classification of mental disorders.

Author Biography

Joel Paris, MD, was born in New York City, but has spent most of his life in Canada. He is Professor of Psychiatry Emeritus at McGill University and served as Department Chair for ten years. An award-winning educator who has supervised psychiatric evaluations with residents for over 40 years, Dr. Paris is currently a Research Associate at the Jewish General Hospital, and heads personality clinics at both the McGill University Health Center and Jewish General Hospital. Dr. Paris' research focuses on borderline personality disorder, its causes, and long-term outcome. He is a former Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles, and authored 23 books and 50 book chapters.