Brief update about the DSM5 changes

The following was posted on the e-mail list for the College Board's AP Psychology community by moderator Pat Santoro. As you are probably already aware, the College Board will be changing the AP Psychology course description next year to reflect the DSM-5 changes. This is obviously not an official change as the course description (the "acorn book") will be officially changed next year, but I wanted to make sure you all knew what changes were in store.

Here is the text of Pat Santoro's e-mail:

....a revised AP Psychology Course Description (CD) will be published by next October that reflects the DSM-5. The 2015 exam will reflect changes from the DSM-5 that appear in the revised CD.  These changes fall under the topic of Abnormal Behavior, and include the following:

Under Topics and Learning Objectives, bullets #2 and 3 have been changed under XII Abnormal Behavior. Below is a DRAFT of proposed changes:

XII. Abnormal Behavior
Recognize the use of the most recent version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) published by the American Psychiatric Association as the primary reference for making diagnostic judgments.

Discuss the major diagnostic categories, including anxiety disorders, bipolar and related disorders, depressive disorders, dissociative disorders, feeding and eating disorders, neurodevelopmental disorders, neurocognitive disorders, obsessive-compulsive and related disorders, personality disorders, schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders, somatic symptoms and related disorders, and trauma stressor and related disorders and their corresponding symptoms.

Under the Topic Outline, “D. Types of Disorders” under Roman Numeral XII has been changed as follows:

D. Types of Disorders
1.       Anxiety
2.       Bipolar and Related
3.       Depressive
4.       Dissociative
5.       Feeding and Eating
6.       Neurodevelopmental
7.       Neurocognitive
8.       Obsessive-Compulsive and Related
9.       Personality
10.   Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic
11.   Somatic Symptoms and Related
12.   Trauma Stressor and Related

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--posted by Steve