Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is a book that is of huge importance and relevance to those suffering with a mental disorder (whether diagnosed or not). That’s because it’s used as a reference by doctors, researchers and insurers all over the world to diagnose and understand mental disorders.
Changes to this book (expected to be updated in 2013) are now posted for public comment. It’s a long slog, but it has relevancy for all insomnia sufferers. From this article in TIME:
To be diagnosed with major depressive disorder today, you need have only five symptoms for two weeks, which can include such common problems as depressed mood, weight gain, insomnia, fatigue and indecisiveness… The proposed revisions would change that and once again take into account severity of symptoms.
We like seeing insomnia taken seriously and we’re hoping that the next revision of the book doesn’t change its position by requiring doctors to specifically assess the severity of someone’s insomnia. This could be difficult to judge, and could prove expensive for the insomnia sufferer if they’re subjected to additional testing.
You can have your say at dsm5.org.
As always, there's more information and advice in our insomnia support forum.