Fifty years of psychiatric nomenclature: Reflections on the 1943 War Department Technical Bulletin, Medical 203

Brain Disease or Emotional Distress? Modern Psychology, Ancient Asceticism, and the Hermenutics of DSM-5

“…DSM-I was published in 1952 and DSM-II followed in 1968. DSM-I was, in part, based on the War Department Technical Bulletin, Medical 203 that was developed in 1943 under the auspices of psychiatrist William Meninger, who worked for the US Army (Houts, 2000). As Houts-writing about the history of psychiatric nomenclature-points out, Medical 203 (developed during World War II) was based on psychodynamic theory and also acknowledged that stressful life-events could produce mental disorders.…”

“…The DSM followed suit by having hypothetical aberration along psychodynamic lines at its core, and was thus 'theory-driven'. DSM-III, however, marked a break from this psychodynamic framework (Houts, 2000). By the 1970s other frameworks-among them a more biological paradigm-were challenging psychodynamic/psychoanalytical thinking regarding the broad spectrum of mental disorders.…”

Brain Disease or Emotional Distress? Modern Psychology, Ancient Asceticism, and the Hermenutics of DSM-5

“…DSM-I was published in 1952 and DSM-II followed in 1968. DSM-I was, in part, based on the War Department Technical Bulletin, Medical 203 that was developed in 1943 under the auspices of psychiatrist William Meninger, who worked for the US Army (Houts, 2000). As Houts-writing about the history of psychiatric nomenclature-points out, Medical 203 (developed during World War II) was based on psychodynamic theory and also acknowledged that stressful life-events could produce mental disorders.…”

“…The DSM followed suit by having hypothetical aberration along psychodynamic lines at its core, and was thus 'theory-driven'. DSM-III, however, marked a break from this psychodynamic framework (Houts, 2000). By the 1970s other frameworks-among them a more biological paradigm-were challenging psychodynamic/psychoanalytical thinking regarding the broad spectrum of mental disorders.…”

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)

“…The DSM-I was also influenced by classifications designed for use with military personnel during World War II (Office of the Surgeon General, Armed Service Forces 2000 [1946]; Veterans Administration 1947). These military classifications concentrated on conditions that were acute reactions to stress, and, largely as a result of the involvement of the psychoanalyst William C. Menninger, had a psychodynamic orientation (Houts 2000).…”

The Cycle of Classification: DSM-I Through DSM-5

“…After World War II, American psychiatry was embarrassed by the chaotic state of classification in the United States. Four systems were in use across different sectors of the mental health field (Houts 2000). The American Psychiatric Association (APA) decided to overcome this "Tower of Babel" situation by creating a classification that would be acceptable to all members of its organization and that could unify the diagnostic terms of its psychiatrists.…”

Brain Disease or Emotional Distress? Modern Psychology, Ancient Asceticism, and the Hermenutics of DSM-5

“…DSM-I was published in 1952 and DSM-II followed in 1968. DSM-I was, in part, based on the War Department Technical Bulletin, Medical 203 that was developed in 1943 under the auspices of psychiatrist William Meninger, who worked for the US Army (Houts, 2000). As Houts-writing about the history of psychiatric nomenclature-points out, Medical 203 (developed during World War II) was based on psychodynamic theory and also acknowledged that stressful life-events could produce mental disorders.…”

“…The DSM followed suit by having hypothetical aberration along psychodynamic lines at its core, and was thus 'theory-driven'. DSM-III, however, marked a break from this psychodynamic framework (Houts, 2000). By the 1970s other frameworks-among them a more biological paradigm-were challenging psychodynamic/psychoanalytical thinking regarding the broad spectrum of mental disorders.…”

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)

“…The DSM-I was also influenced by classifications designed for use with military personnel during World War II (Office of the Surgeon General, Armed Service Forces 2000 [1946]; Veterans Administration 1947). These military classifications concentrated on conditions that were acute reactions to stress, and, largely as a result of the involvement of the psychoanalyst William C. Menninger, had a psychodynamic orientation (Houts 2000).…”

The Cycle of Classification: DSM-I Through DSM-5

“…After World War II, American psychiatry was embarrassed by the chaotic state of classification in the United States. Four systems were in use across different sectors of the mental health field (Houts 2000). The American Psychiatric Association (APA) decided to overcome this "Tower of Babel" situation by creating a classification that would be acceptable to all members of its organization and that could unify the diagnostic terms of its psychiatrists.…”

Brain Disease or Emotional Distress? Modern Psychology, Ancient Asceticism, and the Hermenutics of DSM-5

“…DSM-I was published in 1952 and DSM-II followed in 1968. DSM-I was, in part, based on the War Department Technical Bulletin, Medical 203 that was developed in 1943 under the auspices of psychiatrist William Meninger, who worked for the US Army (Houts, 2000). As Houts-writing about the history of psychiatric nomenclature-points out, Medical 203 (developed during World War II) was based on psychodynamic theory and also acknowledged that stressful life-events could produce mental disorders.…”

“…The DSM followed suit by having hypothetical aberration along psychodynamic lines at its core, and was thus 'theory-driven'. DSM-III, however, marked a break from this psychodynamic framework (Houts, 2000). By the 1970s other frameworks-among them a more biological paradigm-were challenging psychodynamic/psychoanalytical thinking regarding the broad spectrum of mental disorders.…”

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)

“…The DSM-I was also influenced by classifications designed for use with military personnel during World War II (Office of the Surgeon General, Armed Service Forces 2000 [1946]; Veterans Administration 1947). These military classifications concentrated on conditions that were acute reactions to stress, and, largely as a result of the involvement of the psychoanalyst William C. Menninger, had a psychodynamic orientation (Houts 2000).…”

The Cycle of Classification: DSM-I Through DSM-5

“…After World War II, American psychiatry was embarrassed by the chaotic state of classification in the United States. Four systems were in use across different sectors of the mental health field (Houts 2000). The American Psychiatric Association (APA) decided to overcome this "Tower of Babel" situation by creating a classification that would be acceptable to all members of its organization and that could unify the diagnostic terms of its psychiatrists.…”