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DSM-5 and RDoC: progress in psychiatry research?

Nature Reviews Neuroscience volume 14, pages 810–814 (2013)Cite this article

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Abstract

Neuroscience studies into psychiatric disorders generally rely on disease definitions that are based on the influential Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the fifth edition of which (DSM-5) was released earlier this year. Designed as a purely diagnostic tool, the DSM considers different disorders as distinct entities. However, boundaries between disorders are often not as strict as the DSM suggests. To provide an alternative framework for research into psychiatric disorders, the US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has recently introduced its Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) project. In the RDoC, five 'domains' each reflect a brain system in which functioning is impaired, to different degrees, in different psychiatric conditions. Nature Reviews Neuroscience asked six leading investigators for their thoughts on how DSM-5 and the RDoC will influence neuroscience research into psychiatric disorders.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Sackler Institute for Developmental Psychobiology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, 10065, New York, USA

    B. J. Casey

  2. Institute of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK

    Nick Craddock

  3. National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, 6001 Executive Boulevard, MSC 9632, Room 7121, Bethesda, 20892–9632, Maryland, USA

    Bruce N. Cuthbert

  4. Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, Cambridge, 02142, Massachusetts, USA

    Steven E. Hyman

  5. Department of Psychiatry and Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, 10065, New York, USA

    Francis S. Lee

  6. Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, 30329, Georgia, USA

    Kerry J. Ressler

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  1. B. J. Casey
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  2. Nick Craddock
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  3. Bruce N. Cuthbert
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  4. Steven E. Hyman
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  5. Francis S. Lee
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  6. Kerry J. Ressler
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to B. J. Casey, Nick Craddock, Bruce N. Cuthbert, Steven E. Hyman, Francis S. Lee or Kerry J. Ressler.

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Competing interests

Steven E. Hyman is a consultant of the Novartis Science Board, Astra Zeneca Neuroscience Innovative Medicines Unit, Fidelity Biosciences (venture) Scientific Advisory Board. B. J. Casey, Nick Craddock, Bruce N. Cuthbert, Francis S. Lee and Kerry J. Ressler declare no competing financial interests.

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Casey, B., Craddock, N., Cuthbert, B. et al. DSM-5 and RDoC: progress in psychiatry research?. Nat Rev Neurosci 14, 810–814 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3621

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