This article provides an overview of the process of developing the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) of the American Psychiatric Association with focus on issues related to trauma-related disorders, particularly the dissociative disorders (DD). The authors discuss the assessment, treatment, and neurobiological basis of trauma disorders. The latest research indicates that DD patients show a suboptimal response to standard exposure-based treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder as well as high levels of attrition from treatment. Recent studies of the underlying neurobiological basis for dissociation support a model of excessive limbic inhibition in DD.
Brand, B. L., Lanius, R., Vermetten, E., Loewenstein, R. J., & Spiegel, D. (2012). Where Are We Going? An Update on Assessment, Treatment, and Neurobiological Research in Dissociative Disorders as We Move Toward the DSM-5. Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 13(1), 9–31. doi:10.1080/15299732.2011.620687
