Research has emphasized that mental health illness can be described as being identically related to physical illness Pattyn Verhaeghe Sercu Bracket 2013 as it is known to have a biogenetic cause that has existing ways to be treated this means that emotions that were once perceived as badness has been conceptualised as sickness or a medical issue Pattyn et al 2013 Thus this essay seeks to critically evaluate the diagnostic approach in psychiatry and psychotherapy by taking a critical look at the diagnostic approach of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5 This essay will shed light on the history of the DSM its reliability validity and utility of DSM 5 However a definition of what the diagnostic approach is will first be defined What is meant by the diagnostic approach Brief background of the development of the DSM The DSM has been in existence for several years It has become one of the most widely and predominantly used manual within mental health Tsou 2011 Before its development diagnosis in psychiatry was known to be disorganised The first dissemination of the manual was in 1952 which included 102 disorders Tsou 2011 and was developed based on Sigmund Freud's psychodynamic principles Giordano Kawa 2012
