The American Psychiatric Association Presents the DSM-5

Based in Kentfield, CA, Stephen Raffle, MD, is a clinical and forensic psychiatrist with more than five decades of experience. He engages and consults with attorneys, insurers, and employers in venues and cases ranging from civil and criminal to administrative and employment. In addition to his professional responsibilities, Stephen Raffle, MD, belongs to various professional organizations, including the American Psychiatric Association.

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) manages the development and implementation of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The current edition of the text, DSM-5, is the result of more than a decade of concentrated efforts by countless mental health professionals from around the globe. Through their work, the DSM-5 functions as a definitive resource for mental disorder classification and definition. Furthermore, the DSM-5 frames this information with a goal of optimizing diagnoses, treatment options, and ongoing research.

The DSM-5 is ubiquitous among American health professionals, as well as many international care providers. The text not only offers in-depth insight into symptoms and criteria for making diagnoses, but assists mental health professionals in conveying relevant information to individuals using common language.

Despite the authoritative nature of the DSM-5, the APA continues to improve its educational and professional offerings whenever possible. For example, a 2018 update took into account changes made to ICD-10-CM medical codes. Both a comprehensive breakdown and quick-reference overview to these changes are available at psychiatry.org.

Understanding the Pain of a Relationship Breakup

A clinical psychiatrist with decades of experience in areas ranging from forensic psychiatry to neuropsychiatry, Stephen Raffle, MD, maintains a private practice in Kentfield, CA. Through his practice, Stephen Raffle, MD, treats conditions ranging from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to emotional distress.

Often a romantic breakup can cause serious enough emotional distress that it presents similarly to PTSD. Those not responsible for the breakup tend to suffer more and may find themselves reliving the experiences, avoiding circumstances that trigger memories of their partners, numbing their emotions, and living in an aroused state, making them more anxious and irritable. They may also have trouble sleeping.

Studies show that such heartache has a neurological basis. Brain scans with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) indicate activity in certain areas of the brain similar to the activity in response to a hot probe placed on the arm. Hence, neurologically it seems that people experience emotional pain similarly to physical pain.

That fact has led psychologist Alain Brunet of McGill University in Montreal to explore treatment combining physiological suppression of the pain with the beta-blocker propanolol with therapy. He proposes this treatment to allow people to process through their memories, storing them without the associated pain.