The DSM and learning difficulties: formulating a genealogy of the learning-disabled subject

Abstract

The article examines the manner in which the learning-disabled subject is created as an object within contemporary psychiatric discourse by means of a genealogical analysis of the learning-disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). It investigates how this pathology was formed historically in the text, what metamorphoses it underwent, and their epistemic significance. First, the theoretical underpinnings of the sociological discourse on DSM are presented, giving a brief background of the DSM status in the Israeli context. Many problematic characteristics in the text are unveiled, by means of critiques from sociology, anthropology and discourse studies. Second, the changing definitions and conceptualizations of learning-disorders in the seven editions of the Manual and the accompanying case studies (1952-2013) are examined. It becomes apparent that the disorders have undergone changes that have enabled the biomedical paradigm to triumph. The implications of these transformations are addressed.

External validation of the AntiEpileptic Drug Monitoring in PREgnancy (EMPiRE) model for predicting seizures in pregnant women with epilepsy

“…Regarding the presence of developmental delay, the patients enrolled in ELFURS were first assessed by physicians, and then the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale test was administered to those with a possible developmental delay, which was conducted by psychologists in our hospital; patients with intelligence quotients of < 70 were considered to have a developmental delay. Further diagnosis of learning difficulties was diagnosed by psychologists and psychiatrists in our hospital in accordance with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) [ 19 ]. Mental health evaluations were conducted by mental health clinicians at outpatient visits and at follow-up visits.…”