Abstract, Assessing Effectiveness of the DSM-5 in Informing Biological Mechanisms

Presentation for the NC State Undergraduate Research Sidewalk Symposium, Fall 2023

(visual poster pictured below)

Author(s): Jordan Birkner – College of Sciences

Mentor(s): Dr. Joy Little – College of Sciences

This presentation involves the in-progress design and development of a research survey for psychology students to gauge their understanding of medications and biological interventions for mental health disorders in comparison to DSM-5 information. Simply put: does the DSM-5 actually inform the people who will use it in diagnostics anything about a disorder’s understood biological mechanisms? There are correct and incorrect answers regarding classes such as neurodegenerative, neurodevelopmental, and more. Does the DSM-5, as a standard resource, accurately provide access to this information for those who will use this to diagnose and explain to patients what these disorders are? The survey answers can be compared and analyzed through simple statistical means, and trends in commonly missed questions are identified. I hypothesize that there are gaps between the current standard knowledge regarding biological mechanisms in psychological diagnostic categories and the information accessible through the DSM-5. I believe this is an important gap to quantify and understand, especially as those entering the clinical field are expected to interact with patients using the DSM-5’s guidance. While many psychological diagnostic labels may not currently rely on biological assessments, the medications used to treat them do have physiological consequences. The results gathered from this study can be used to inform local graduate and undergraduate psychology curriculum development, as the students involved in the study may need additional focus on these areas within coursework. The results can also help to formulate potential revision proposals for the DSM-5 itself.

Full abstract book for the event can be found here.