What a book!

This book is horrid. I highly recommend it . . . to burn. The language was hard to understand and very hard to follow. Although it did have some interesting points. Ok maybe zero. The best part of the whole thing was the end. But wait a minute. I never got that far. The DSM-IV is long and confusing. I found that it did not help me one bit. In fact, it actually made the situation worse. But there's nothing holding you back from reading this sure to be best seller. Go ahead. Waste your money if you so choose.

A great manual to promote diseases !

The DSM IV-TR is a great book to promote diseases that fit the armaments of medications that the pharmaceutical companies would like physicians to use.
The problem with the whole DSM serie is that it is mostly subjective and based on speculation. The DSM is not based on hard empirical evidence but on a consensual system by fewwell-connected psychiatrists on the payroll of the pharmaceutical companies. These same psychiatrists also happen to belong to the American Psychiatric Association and/or work as hired guns/consultants for the APA, which also happens to receive yearly funding or gifts from the pharmaceutical companies $500,000 worth.
The whole process is deceitful and shameful!!!

Consider etiology and treatment too.

DSM-IV-TR provides diagnostic information about mental illnesses, but as a physician, I find that information about etiology and treatment is important. Michael B. First and Allan Tasman wrote "DSM-IV-TR Mental Disorders" to include all three of these areas. It was published in 2004 and costs about $225. If you can afford it, you might want to consider purchasing it.