Psychiatric Diagnostic Criteria: From RDC to DSM to Beyond, What Have We Learned?

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) has served as the cornerstone of psychiatric diagnosis for decades, offering a standardized framework for classification, research, and treatment. This article provides a historical review of the development of the DSM, from early theoretical foundations rooted in Kraepelin's descriptive psychiatry to the transformative impact of DSM-III's medicalized approach and the adoption of Feighner Criteria. Despite its utility in improving diagnostic reliability and facilitating research advancements, the DSM has faced increasing scrutiny for its limitations in validity and its inability to fully address the complexity of mental illness. Emerging frameworks, such as the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) and the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP), aim to refine psychiatric nosology through dimensional and biologically informed approaches. By highlighting the DSM 's strengths and challenges, this article underscores the need for continued innovation to capture the nuanced interplay of biological, psychological, and sociological factors in mental health. [ Psychiatr Ann. 2024;54(12):e320-e324.]